I don't own The Hunger Games. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Chapter Ten

I wake up before it's light out. I don't even know if it counts as sleeping, I was just drifting in and out of consciousness. I try to remember if I dreamt last night, that would remind me that I slept, but I come up blank. If I did sleep, it was only for an hour, two hours at most. I spent until two in the morning with Finnick on the roof, then I spent another hour lying in bed and replaying our conversation.

"Is there any good that comes out of winning?" I asked him.

"To us? No. They give food to our districts though, so I guess that's good. My district doesn't really need a huge feast or anything, but everyone still enjoys it," Finnick explained to me.

"What's your district like?" I questioned him. I had never been outside of my district, besides when I was in the woods and that doesn't count. I always wondered what the other Districts were like. I knew District Four is the fishing district, so there must be a sea, or in the least a giant lake.

"It's beautiful," he sighed, looking reminiscent. "Before the Hunger Games, I used to live ten minutes from the beach. I would walk there, barefoot of course, shoes would only hold me back, and swim for hours. Once you reach the sand, depending on which beach you're at or how hot it is, you would run to the water as fast as you could. It actually burns your feet pretty bad sometimes, but the ocean would instantly cool it down. Sometimes I would fish or throw net at the rocks, but mostly I would just swim."

"When you said you didn't volunteer… Were you telling the truth?"

Finnick looks thoughtful for a while. "Yeah," he murmurs. "There were times that I thought about it, but I was still too young anyways. My parents couldn't afford to send me to the Academy, so I kinda brushed it off and decided not to go through with it."

I hesitate before I ask him his next question. "Then how did you know how to use that trident so well?"

He doesn't look offended like I thought he would. Instead he laughs, "Oh that? My dad's a fisherman; most of our parents are in District Four. The pays pretty good for long liners, depending on how much they catch, but they spend three weeks at a time out at sea before they come back home.

"When I was ten, my dad took me to the beach and we walked into the clearest and shallowest part of the water. Then, we waited until the fish just came right up to you. And when they were within distance, you would spear them. We used a wooden spear though; I've never even touched a trident before I was reaped. But in actuality, it was a hell of a lot easier to use a trident than a spear. Once, you get used to the weight difference," he trailed off and looked to be deep in thought.

I could imagine him now. A young boy and his father, knee high in water and frozen like statues until a fish came up.

"My dad taught me how to use a bow, too," I murmur before I could even stop myself. "Just the basics, like how to stand and how to hold the bow. I had to learn by myself after that."

"Is your dad a hunter?" Finnick inquired, leaning in closer to me.

"As a side thing, everyone in the District knew he was, but it's illegal so everyone just overlooked it and played dumb. He was a coal miner when he wasn't hunting," I explained to him. "He was a great man and a great father."

"He died?"

"In an explosion," I said with finality. I didn't need or want his pity.

"My dad did, too. His ship went down when he was out at sea," Finnick sympathized with me.

I didn't know that he lost a parent, too. Usually, the Victor's lives were broadcasted 24/7 for the Capitol to see. Something as big as that happening to the Capitol's favorite Victor would usually be common knowledge by now. However, the President did have ultimate power over the media, so it wouldn't be brought public unless Snow wanted it to be.

I stumble over to the kitchen, not even fully comprehending what I am doing. I'm fighting to keep my eyes open, they're dry and my eyelids feel like they're being weighed down with twenty-pound weights. This isn't going to work out well for me in the arena.

I grab an apple from the glass bowl on the wooden table and lean against the side of it. If I sit down now, I'm afraid that I'll fall back asleep.

I should have drugged myself, I mourn. I should have asked an Avox to fetch me sleeping pills. I'm exhausted, which could get me killed in the arena. Would I be able to run? Would I lose focus and trip? Would I get a headache and freeze in the middle of the bloodbath?

I glance at the clock, which is just a hologram on the walls that lights up once it senses your eyes drift towards it. The number glows immediately after it feels my gaze and I flinch back from the brightness. 4:27 AM, it screams to me. You should have gone to sleep when you had the chance, I tell myself.

I still have four hours to sleep, I ponder. The Hunger Games doesn't officially start until 12, but we have to wake up at 9 to get prepared and fly to the arena. Capitol citizens don't like to wake up early in the morning, instead they tend to stay out late at night then sleep early in the morning. By delaying the Hunger Games until noon, the Capitol is giving its citizens just enough time to get their eight hours in before tuning into their favorite TV show. How kind of them, I think sarcastically.

I ponder over whether I should return back to my bedroom to return back to sleep, but I doubt that I could even if I wanted to. I could always call for an Avox, but they're probably already sleeping and I don't want to cause the red-haired Avox girl any more pain than I have already caused her.

I still regret not saving her. I doubt that I could even if I tried, but it would have been the attempt that counted. It would have been better than living with seeing her eyes stare straight into mine every other night in my nightmares.

Instead, I wander over to the elevator and press on the District Four floor. I don't know why I'm compelled to visit Finnick, but I choose to do it anyways. I probably won't see him again, so this may be my last chance. He's become somewhat of a comrade to me ever since the first talk we had on the roof and I'd like to say goodbye to him, if anything.

The elevator is quiet when it opens this time, which may be due to how early in the morning it is. I wouldn't be surprised if the Capitol specially wired the elevator to be quiet during sleeping hours. It's dark and I have to stumble my way to the room where I know he would be, it's in the same place as Haymitch's is. The darkness is making me sleepy and I have to will myself awake.

"Ow!" I hiss through clenched teeth when I step on something hard and painful. I rage over whoever left the damn thing lying there. What kind of pigs are these District Four citizens? Not even cleaning up their damn mess… You would think that someone would notice the freaking thing, whatever it is.

I continue on to the room though and don't bother knocking. The door is cracked open anyways. Vaguely, I could hear pained groans and when I push the door open I have to squint to see him. Finnick's laying on his back, seeming to be frozen still, and he's sweating buckets, the moisture dripping from his forehead and whatever skin is visible from outside the thin blanket. He's breathing heavily and his chest strains with the effort it takes him to breathe.

What's wrong with him? I wonder. Is he sick? Does he have a fever?

I purse my lips as I contemplate what I should do. In the Seam, whenever my sister was sick, I would use the snow. That is, if we were lucky enough to be sick in the winter. Believe it or not, the winter actually is the best time to get sick. The cold counterbalances the heat that you're projecting when you have a fever and it's easier to cool you down. Of course, it is harder to get food in the winter though. But when a sick person dies because of the lack of nutrition, I generally pass it off as starvation more than the fever's fault. It's an arguable point, but I stick to it no matter who tells me otherwise.

After a moment of thinking, I decide to get some ice. Before I came to the Capitol, the only ice I ever saw was on the frozen windowsills and concrete whenever it got cold enough. The ice in the Capitol was a huge difference, though; it was shaped into little stars and hearts and clean, completely free from dirt.

I fast walk into the kitchen and grab a handkerchief that was lying on the kitchen table. I have to lean over the table to press the menu button. It flashes before me and I slide over to the beverages section, clicking on the ice icon. The hologram disappears quickly after that and a bucket of ice appears on the table, lifting from wherever it's held. I've always wondered where the food comes from when we press the buttons. Does it go to some kitchen underground where the Avoxes work day and night to fulfill our orders? Or is it mechanic?

I shake my head, forcing the thoughts out of my head. When I'm tired I tend to drift off. I walk back to his room and sit down on my knees besides his bed. I would feel too uncomfortable lying on his bed, uninvited.

"Hey, Finnick?" I mutter. Using the covered ice, I press it against his forehead slowly. I'm no healer like my mom, or even Prim, but I know how to take care of a fever.

I gasp when Finnick reacts instantly. Flinging himself out of bed, he lands perfectly on top of me on the floor. With an arm against my throat and one holding down my body, I'm completely immobile and helpless. What's going on?

"Finnick?" I gaze upwards and I'm caught looking questioningly into his eyes.

Sorry, I've been enjoying my freedom when I have the chance. I start school again Monday and I've been milking out all the free time that I have. However I don't work tomorrow so I figured why not stay up a little late and post another chapter?

I live in Hawaii, so I'm pretty familiar with Finnick's homeland :3 Well at least the gist of it. My dad is a long line fishing captain and he's basically all knowing when it comes to fishing and everything, so I've sorta gained some knowledge from him. I used to hate the beach, but since I've fallen in love with Finnick Odair, I've been craving it lately. I'm gonna get my dad to teach me how to throw net and spearfish again... I've only ever went once and the one time I choose to go, there was a freaking shark in the water so I haven't gone back since. I'm terrified of sharks :P even though it's unlikely that I'll ever get bit.