The rest of the day I spent chatting with the other members of our group. I ponder whether or not to tell David about this. And whether or not Finnick will be mad. I still hadn't made up my mind when we tributes were ushered out of the Training Room. I am in the elevator with Sam, Carney, Hector, and Melanie. Melanie is so small. Her short brown hair is curled in little ringlets and her eyes are very large. There is no way I am going to be able to harm this child. After a few seconds, the elevator stops and I get out. Carney waves bye to me and I wave back, smiling softly. We would probably be good friends if the Capitol wasn't making us try to kill each other.
I walk the short distance to my room and take a shower. I know how to operate the buttons now. I decide that I want to smell like mint, whatever that smells like. I press the light green button and some mist comes out of a hole. It smells clean and I want some of it to go in my mouth, though I'm smart enough to know not to try and eat it. I press a button labeled "Done" and hot water hits me from all sides, then warm air comes out from everywhere. Soon I am dry. I get out of the shower and pull on some clothes. I try to find a jacket somewhere in my closet, but to no avail. I do find a long-sleeve shirt that seems soft, so I put it on over some black dress pants that I also found. After getting dressed, I go to dinner.
I see that Finnick has decided I eat some more meat because he's already gotten my plate laid out. He's set himself beside me as well, probably to make sure I eat it. Fine, he wants to play bossy mentor, let the games begin. I've made up my mind.
"So, David, how's your alliance going?" I ask, while taking my place beside Finnick.
"Alright," he says between mouthfuls," I think I can easily overpower any of them when needed."
"Oh, well I thought that I'd let you know that I've also made an alliance between all the other tributes, except 8 and 10." I say this all very slowly, then taking a particularly large bit of food to look nonchalant, so as to take in David's reaction. He barely flinches, but I saw it. Tianna looks at me with distain and Finnick's face looks horrified. The only person that doesn't seem surprised is Mags; then again she might not even be listening. David's mouth is still open. As he struggles to respond, Finnick pulls me aside.
"What on earth are you thinking?" he asks, leading me out into the hallway.
"That we don't stand a chance against the Careers!" I yell-whisper, I tend to be doing a lot of that.
"The Gamemakers won't like it." he says.
"Won't like what? The fact that we are going to give them something different or that once the Careers are out of the way, the world can see how humane tributes really are?" I ask, slightly hysterical.
"The last one. Annie, why do you even care about this? You can win without them! Why does it matter?"
"Because I'm not going to win, Finnick! The least I can do is set the stage for someone to rebel! Put the pieces there for someone else!" I don't know where these words came from, but I soon as I said them I know that they are true.
Finnick shakes his head, "Just keep your head down, Annie. You can win! Don't be a martyr." A martyr, he actually called me a martyr.
"I'm not trying to die, you idiot! But be realistic. I. Can't. Win, and you know it!" I'm yelling now, Finnick has to cover my mouth with his hand. I bite it and taste his blood in my mouth. It tastes strangely like metal and is warm. Blood, inside every human being. Inside 24 tributes. Blood will be spilt in less than a week. Suddenly my vision turns red as I see Finnick cupping his bleeding hand with the other one.
"Ouch! Annie, what was that for?" he says, his hand is bleeding. "Annie," he says, showing me his bleeding hand. It's got teeth marks, and blood spilling out of the punctures in his skin. "Annie?" he looks alarmed now. He comes closer, but I back away. It looks to me as if his whole body is bleeding.
I scream a high-pitch shriek that echoes around the hallway. I feel the air coming out of me, but not going back into my lungs.
"Annie!" Finnick shouts, reaching out his arms to me. "Somebody help!" his voice cracks. "Help! Somebody! Anybody!"
I'm not screaming anymore, but that's only because no sound will come out. My mouth is open, yet nothing comes out except a sharp wheezing sound. I'm not seeing in red anymore; my vision is slowly fading back to color. It's bright pink now. I stop wheezing, but I still can't breathe well.
A couple of Capitol people come running down the hallway. They are all around me now and I can't seem to take them in. They are too close; one of them has a kitchen knife. Something clicks inside of me and I run at him, smacking his jaw with my fist. He scampers away from me, the crazy girl. The other's do the same. I can start to see their brightly colored hair. I see Finnick's blue shirt now, thick and sort of worn. His leather jacket, I see now, is black instead of red. He holds the inhaler to my mouth again. He seems to always be doing that. I inhale deeply and swallow bile. I mentally puke, though.
Finnick lowers me down into a sitting position. He helps the Capitol person up and scolds him for bringing the knife. Once he dismisses them, he squats down to talk to me.
"Nice right hook."
"So I'm keeping the group then," I say, very innocently, but this fails since I've just caused probably what was the biggest uproar in the history of the Games. I practically attacked a Capitol citizen. I'm in deep trouble with Finnick, the bossy mentor from the Victors' Village. He raises his eyebrows at me, as if in disbelief. I narrow my eyes into slits.
"Alright, alright," he says, raising his arms in surrender. "Don't bite me again! …Or punch me."
Silently, we make our way back to the dining room.
"What was the screaming for, Annie? Can't you just quit being so… strange? What's your problem anyway? " Tianna asks, in her most annoying voice. She must have heard my screams. Why can't she just mind her own business for once? She really irks me. I open my mouth to make a snarky comment, but Finnick beats me to it.
"Maybe it's the fumes from your hair dye." he says, ouch! It is kind of hysterical, the way it sticks up and who in Panem wants orange hair. She honestly looks like something out of a nightmare.
"Well, , if you and Annie would like to sit down and finish dinner, that would be excellent." she says. I really don't like her. Finnick gives me an apologetic look as I sit down and start eating again. I notice all the salt inside the meat, but don't ask about it. Finnick probably added some kind of vitamin powder.
Somehow I notice that David isn't at the table anymore. Suddenly, I have a bad thought. The knife, it was a dinner knife. Exactly like the ones in front of me. Someone hearing a call for help would automatically grab the closest weapon to him and run forward to help.
"David…I hit him?" I ask of Finnick, who nods.
"It's alright," he whispers, "You were delirious; no one is going to do anything about it." He points to my food, "Eat, Annie, eat."
After dinner, I go back to my room and go to sleep. I have to be up early tomorrow again to train with Finnick and David.