You're Still an Innocent

by Dani3434

Katniss Everdeen, Victor of the 66th Hunger Games at age 12, meets Finnick Odair, the Capitol heartthrob. The Quarter Quell isn't just a Quarter Quell, but a Deadened Decade, in which a lesser Quarter Quell happens every ten years. Following Finnick, Katniss', and her friend Zahra through the ups and downs of being a Victor. Previously Not as Innocent as We May Think

14. Part 2: The Reaping

Let me know which tributes you want to die in the catching fire/mockingjay portion, cuz I've fallen in love with my characters. So out of Augustus, Blight, Britt, Cashmere, Flint, Gloss, Johanna, Peeta, Phoenix, Prim, Seeder, and Zahra

Shout-out to EmberLex, Makdawg52, katie owl, and Hawkmaid for the reviews.(my line break aint working, so just pretend its there. Im gonna sub. it with something. dont know what yet.)

The Reaping

"Katniss Everdeen." Effie says with much, much less enthusiasm. Almost immediately, Peeta volunteers. I grit my teeth. I want to go into the arena, to protect all of my friends who go in.

Effie then calls Haymitch's name and I volunteer, making Peeta give me a hard glare. Instead of shaking hands, I hug him. Commander Thread starts tugging on my arm, pulling me off stage.

"No. I get to say goodbye!" I say desperately.

"Change of plans." He responds with a smirk. I bet he's really enjoying this because of the whipping incident after Flint's victory tour.

"Bye, Prim!" I yell at my eighteen year old sister.

After receiving a strict speech about how I shouldn't have volunteered, we sit down to watch the reaping.

District 1

Gloss and Cashmere (both reaped)

District 2

Brutus and Enobaria (both reaped)

District 3

Beetee and Wiress (both reaped)

District 4

Phoenix and Finnick. (Phoenix volunteered for Flint, Finnick volunteered for Britt)

District 5

Eric and Nova (both reaped)

District 6

Jared and Gary (both reaped)

District 7

Zahra and Johanna (Zahra volunteered for Blight. Johanna cursed a lot when reaped.)

District 8

Cecelia and Woof (both reaped)

District 9

Malachi and Daren (Daren volunteered)

District 10

John and Michael (John volunteered for his sister)

District 11

Chaff and Seeder (both reaped)

District 12

Katniss and Peeta

"Katniss!" Finnick meets us at the train station again. I look at him, tears in my eyes.

"We were finally happy."

"I know, Kat. I know. But we're both so stupid. If neither of us volunteered, we would still be safe."

I pull away from him.

"Safe? We weren't safe. We were captives. We had to sell our bodies, we couldn't legally date, if we had kids, they would be reaped, how is this safe?"

Finnick gives me a hard look. "I'll come to your room tonight. There's something we need to talk about."

At nine o'clock, I am sitting on my bed, waiting for Finnick to show up. He never actually said a time, so I'm hoping he didn't mean midnight. Then, my door opens and I quietly rejoice.

"Hey, Finn." I say. He holds a finger to his lips before whipping out a pocket knife and stabbing holes in my clock, the top left corner, across the room from the door, a spot above my dresser, and another above the bathroom. I frown.

"There we go." He says with a smile. "Snow put up bugs in all of our rooms."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"

"Katniss… there's a plan to get us out of the arena. All of us. You, me, Phoenix, Johanna, Peeta, and the rest of us. We're pretty tight knit and it would be really tough if even one of us died."

"O-okay." I say, dragging out the word. He gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Bye, Katniss." He stands to leave.

"Finnick!" I call. He turns back to me. "I love you." He smiles and walks back to me, kisses me, and tells me he loves me too before leaving. I crawl under the blankets and fall asleep almost immediately.

I wake up, sweating and screaming. Peeta rushes in. I look up at him, unable to talk.

"Nightmare?" He asks. I nod. He walks back outside. I wish I could ask him to stay, but my voice isn't working. A few minutes later, I hear someone knocking on my door. I still can't talk, so I get up and open the door. It's Finnick. He wraps me in his arms and lets me sob into his shoulder, even though I'm soaking his shirt.

"Shh, shh. It's just a dream. It's not real. You're alive, Prim's alive, I'm alive, Peeta's alive. You're fine." he strokes my hair.

I sniff. "You aren't dead?" I ask brokenly.

"Not yet."

"Not ever." I shot back. He gives a short, bitter laugh.

"No promises."

The training scores are up.

Gloss: 9 (Gloss tossed around his knives, as did his sister."

Cashmere: 10 (Gloss isn't too happy at being bested by his little sister.)

Brutus: 10 (Brutus used his spear.)

Enobaria: 9 (Enobaria used a sword.)

Beetee: 6

Wiress: 5

Finnick: 11 (he used his trident, but he trained shirtless, so apparently some game maker has a small crush…)

Phoenix: 10 (she's good with a katana and knots)

Eric (District 5): 7, Nova: 4

Jared(District 6): 8, Gary: 6

Johanna: 10

Zahra: 9 (Who knows what those two did.)

Cecelia: 7, Woof: 3

Malachi(District 9): 9, Daren: 5

John (District 10): 4, Michael: 6

Seeder:7, Chaff: 8

Peeta: 8

Katniss: 12 (I hung Seneca Crane.)

Haymitch turns to me in shock

"What did you do? It can't be good."

I smiled a slightly insane grin.

"I was shooting and, yet again, they weren't paying attention, so I hung a Seneca Crane dummy, shot out all the lights except the one above it. They didn't seem to like it too much."

Haymitch rolls his eyes. "you think?"

The elevator door opens.

"Katniss!" I turn around and see Zahra. "The other Victors are meeting on the roof tonight, if you want to join. You too, Peeta." And she walks out. Haymitch calls after her

"Not even a 'hello?'"

"Goodbye, drunkard. Not nice to see you again." She yells back as the doors close. I snicker.

When the elevator doors open and I step out, Finnick immediately engulfs me in a hug.

"What's up with the twelve."

"Oh, the usual. Gamemakers are out for my blood. Just another day in the office. You?"

"I did the norm. They just liked it, I guess. Where's Peeta and Haymitch?" Finnick asks, looking behind me as if they're hiding.

"They aren't coming. Peeta's big on sleep and Haymitch wasn't invited."

"Oh, they're coming, alright."

I turn around to see the elevator doors open one again and both Peeta and Haymitch step out.

"Is everyone here?" Haymitch barks, grouchy as ever. Everyone nods. "K. Gather round."

Once everyone was properly situated in a tight circle, Haymitch began speaking.

"Let's run over what happens in the arena. Cashmere starts."

Cashmere begins speaking. "We go directly to the Cornucopia and split our alliance into smaller parts. Gloss, Zahra and me, Beetee, Wiress, and Johanna, Finnick, Mags, Katniss, and Peeta, and if they make it past the bloodbath, then Cecelia, Woof, Seeder, and Chaff. If not, the remaining members of that alliance go to mine. District 6 will hide and only intervene if necessary. My group's job is to keep District 2 away from Katniss, Johanna's group gets the wire from the Cornucopia, Finnick and Peeta keep Katniss safe, and Cecelia's is tagging along." Fortunately, no one in Cecelia's group is present. Haymitch nods "oh, and the district number is the day, the amount of rolls is the hour."

Haymitch dismisses the victors.

"Finnick, wait." I call. Finnick turns back to me. "Why does everyone want me out?" I ask.

"You're the Mockingjay, Katniss."