I sit on the porch of my home, looking out to the rising sun. My hands clasp the mug of slightly lukewarm tea. I don't sleep as much anymore, but I don't mind. It means I get to see this beautiful sight. The sound of the waves is so relaxing. The way the colours of the sun set the sky alight is breath taking. I've seen many paintings of District 4, of the sea and the sun, but none will ever be able to truly capture the beauty of the view.
"Hey," says Finnick, opening the patio door and leaning against the frame. I turn and smile.
"Just woken up?" I ask, although I know the answer. His sea eyes are slightly puffy and he is a little pale, as he always is in the mornings.
"Yeah. Did you have a nightmare?" he asks, rubbing his eyes.
"No. I just couldn't sleep."
"How long have you been awake for?"
"I don't know. Time feels weird for me. I could have been here for five minutes or five hours."
He nods slightly, smiling.
"Do you want me to cook us some breakfast?"
"What?" I smirk. "I don't want a last meal or anything."
"It's not a last meal, it's breakfast, Annie. Plus we leave tomorrow, not today."
I nod slightly. Tomorrow is the start of the Victory tour. I will be making my way to District 12 through to District 1, then onto the Capitol, where I will be greeted by Caesar for another interview and a party with the President himself.
I hear the doorbell go and Finnick furrows his brow, as do I.
"Who could that be?" he asks. "It's like… six in the morning."
I shrug and get up, creeping across the marble floor to the grand door. I turn the handle and open it. The person that stood in front of me was the last person in Panem I expected. You could've knocked me down with a feather.
"Good morning, Miss Cresta," says the President. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"No, not at all. We were just about to make breakfast. Do you wish to join us, sir?"
"Oh no, that won't be necessary," he says, stepping into my house and looking around. "And, who is the 'we' you mentioned."
"Finnick, sir," I say, choosing my words extremely carefully. "He's been staying here to help me prepare for the tour."
"That's very sweet of him. What do your family think of that? Do they mind sharing a house with him?"
"Oh, my family don't stay here sir. It was my prize, they said, not theirs. It's for my future family. But my sister, Sayla, she stays every weekend."
"Annie, are you okay without…" Finnick stops as he appears in the foyer. "Coriolanus… I mean, sir, what a surprise."
"Good morning Finnick," says the President as his eyes scour over Finnick's half naked body.
"If I knew you were coming I would've made myself more decent," says Finnick.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before. Plus this is a flying visit. I just had to speak to our darling little Victor before the tour began."
Finnick looks to me. I smile and nod. He smiles also.
"I shall leave you to it," says Finnick, leaving the President and me alone. Snow turns back to me and smiles.
"He really is an attractive fellow, don't you think?"
"I can see why he is so popular with the females," I say softly. I can't give anything away that Finnick and I are in a relationship. He didn't move in with me until three weeks after I returned home, until the cameras went and all the attention on District 4 had died down. They were the worst three weeks of my life.
"I will keep this brief, Miss Cresta. You are quite popular with the males of the Capitol at the moment. You've captured the hearts of quite a few of them, particularly the head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. He said you agreed to a date."
"We did?!" I say, taken a back slightly. Crap! That must've been what he mentioned back at the party after I won.
"Oh yes, he won't stop going on about. Anyway, I have arranged for this to happen when you visit us in the Capitol at the end of the tour. You will be required to go."
"Why?"
"You wouldn't want to break his heart now, would you?" I shake my head slightly. Okay, now I am scared. "You know, Annie, you are loved to very much in the Capitol. So I have a proposition for you. If you keep going on these dates, I will make sure that you live a successful and happy life, with all of your family and with everything you could have ever wanted. How does that sound?"
Without thinking or letting it sink in, I nod.
"Excellent," he smiles. He steps closer to me, takes my hand and leans in, kissing my cheek. "I look forward to hearing how it goes. Good luck with the tour, Annie"
I swallow hard and smile slightly as he steps away from me.
"Thank you, sir," I say.
He politely nods and I escort him to the door. I shut it softly and lean my back on it, sliding to the floor. Finnick appears in the foyer, his face full of concern.
"What did he want?"
"Oh… Nothing," I say smiling.
"Sure?" he asks. I nod. "Okay, well breakfast is almost ready."
I smile and watch him walk into the kitchen. And as I do this, it finally dawns on me: I don't think President Snow's idea of a date isn't the same as mine.
