Hi, guys thanks for reading still please review. I been lazy and need some motivation.
The elevator doors open and no one says a word as we walk in.
I go into my room, and go straight to my bed.
But I don't fall asleep, I can't.
Why? Because Roland is dead.
I just didn't understand what happened. How could this happen?
"They won't be able to tell us for a while." said Finnick.
I don't need to be told what happened though. I know what happened. I know he killed himself. How? I'm not sure. Why? I don't know. But I do know that's what he did.
That's why he kissed me, because it would be his last.
I should have done something. I should have known that's what he would do. He said it himself, he had a big choice in his way. Why didn't I do anything? Why didn't I stop him!?
I screamed into my pillow, punching it with all my anger. I could have saved him I could have given him a chance to live, even if he was thrown into the Games. Is that why he did it? So, he would have a choice to go into the games or not? Go away painless, then to die because of the pain?
I don't care what happened. I felt like I failed him. The fact did it himself gave me nothing, it didn't stop the tears.
For the first time in my generation did someone die before the Games happened. Now, it was too late to be replaced, so there would be twenty-three tributes.
Hopefully, they won't blame us for not watching them better. We could be blamed for his death if they looked hard enough, and sometimes they do.
No, they wouldn't do that. Finnick is too precious to them, but I'm not. No, they just can't do it. It wasn't our fault. It's wasn't mine.
"You can do this." I tell Lana in our hug.
I can feel her nod. Tears seep through my shirt.
She let's go and wipes her eyes. "Sorry."
"It's fine. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay." she says, her voice cracking.
"Just remember everything we told you and you should be just fine." said Finnick.
"Yeah, since you're alone it should be a lot easier."
She nodded, the wind making her wild hair go everywhere.
"It's time to go." said Ira.
Lana nods, and looks at us. "Thank you, for everything."
I smiled.
She turned and walked off. Before she touched the latter, she turned and waved. "I'll see you soon." She yelled, then she was frozen up to the hovercraft.
"What do we do now?" I asked, looking up at Finnick.
"We watch."
The Games start at noon. We have three hours.
"Oh, wait I forgot. You have an interview with Caesar Flickerman."
"What?"
"Yeah, and it's in ten minutes."
"You!" I bit my lip. "Uh!" I stormed off from the roof and going down to our floor.
I ran into my room.
"Okay." yelled Finnick, coming into my room. "I lied it's not that soon, you still have an hour."
"Jeez, Finnick... You freaked me out."
"Your team should come anytime now."
I nodded, and they did come right at that time.
They put my hair up into a really high bun. Then, made my cheek bones stand out and my eye lashes long. Giving me a natural lip, and blue with gold eyeshadow. I wore a light blue lace dress, with a deep v in the back.
"You're ready." Orinda says, reminding me of today last year. What was happening Lana this very moment. Being prepared for death.
No. I think. This whole time I've told her I believe in her. Just because now it's closer, because it's more real, just because she's going to the arena doesn't mean that she's going to die. For a second I'm reminded that Roland is gone, and I'm happy because he didn't have to go through everything Tal, Whim, Anise, Skeeter, and anyone else in the Games had to go through. He died in peace, if there's such a thing. He probably didn't even feel when he hit the floor.
That's how I want to go. I don't want to feel the least amount of pain as possible. Too bad you don't get to choose how you go.
"Annie? Are you okay?" she asked.
I look up at her. "Yes, sorry. I spaced out."
"You do that a lot, don't you dear?"
I didn't notice that I spaced out with her at all. I guess I wouldn't notice if I were gone. "Yes." I whisper. "It's a habit."
"Bad habit." She said.
I nodded. "I'm sorry."
"No problem. Just go to your interview. It'll be in the living room."
I nodded. "Thank you." I said, and left.
The camera's were all set, and so was Caesar. He didn't happy. He looked tired and pale. I guess he never saw someone die, in person. I guess he's shell-shocked. I guess, if I were him, I would be too.
I sat down next to him. "Hello Caesar."
"Hello, Annie. How are you today?"
"Good. When are we going to start?"
"Two minutes."
"How are you Caesar?"
"Shaken, but I'll be alright." He smiled.
"Think off that with much more blood, and others after yours. That's how I felt." I say, hollow.
His smile fades. "I'm sorry."
"And at least you didn't know him."
"At least he didn't go."
I smiled, sadly. "At least."
"You sure do look lovely, Annie."
"Thank you." I couldn't say the same thing to him since he had banana yellow hair.
"Let's start the interview."
"Well, good morning Panem! Happy Hunger Game's everyone! Today is finally here. It'll be the start of the Seventy-First Annual Hunger Games! And so we'll start the day off with an interview with our beloved Victor of the Seventieth Hunger Games, Annie Cresta!"
"Aw, Caesar you make me feel special."
"Well, you should you won the Games!"
I smiled.
"What have you been up to now that you don't have to do a thing?"
"I sit at home, and try to keep myself busy."
"That sounds boring."
"It is, sometimes I go to the beach but there's not much you can do if everyone else is working."
"How does it feel to be a mentor now? I'm sure it feels odd."
"It does. I never knew how much work was put into helping out Tributes. I didn't even have to get sponsors it was more Tribute work."
Caesar nodded. "Well, what do you think about this years Tributes? Do you have faith in your Tribute?"
"Yes, a ton. She is so determined and smart. She knows what she's doing and if I could put all my money on her I would."
"What about Roland? If he had stayed alive could he have won?"
"Yes."
"How do you feel about that? What happened?"
"I'm in shock, I think. I just I don't know what happened, and that's just scary, you know?"
He nodded. "Completely understandable."
So, we went on and on like that for a while. We even talked about Rhyal. I just let the words out, and didn't think. Then he said. "How is your relationship with Finnick?"
"Huh?" I said, my throat closed up. "Wha-what?"
"How are you and Finnick doing as co-workers?"
"We bump heads, a lot, but we've learned how to get along, get our job done."
"Bump heads, why?"
"We can never agree on anything. He's frustrating." I roll my eyes, hoping it looked like I'm annoyed.
He smiled. "Yeah, he can get really annoying."
"That's not very nice, Flickerman." said Finnick, frown behind the camera's.
"What? It's the truth."
Finnick just smiled and shook his head.
"Well, that's all my questions for today, Annie. It's been a pleasure to see you again."
"The pleasures all mine."
"Well, that's all for today ladies and gentlemen. Don't forget to tune in at twelve o'clock for the Seventy-First Annual Hunger Games."
Who would forget?
Someone's after her. Their right at Lana's heels.
The camera followed Lana and the boy from Five as he was trying to attack her. He's so close I just want to scream for her to go faster.
The rain hit hard on them. There were odd trees all around her, they looked like the palms at home but twisted a skinny, most of the trunks were white.
I hold my hand on my mouth, trying not to say anything. I'm so focused.
Then, it goes to a wide shot of where she'll go if she goes straight.
She'll run right off a cliff.
I want to scream to tell her to go to the left. She needs to go to the left. I want to make Finnick do something to change her path but we can't do anything.
Move. Move. Move. I chant in my head.
My heart races, my stomach clenches, and my throat closes up.
Finnick's right next to me standing up and goes to a corner.
I can't look back on the screen, and think so hard the she has to go to the left it hurts. My grandmother used to say that if you will it hard enough it'll happen.
I hope it happens.
I don't notice when I do it, but I feel a sting inside my hand. I open it to see a small cut the blood welled up to look like a bird. I see what I cut it on and it's the necklace Finnick had given me for my birthday, the one with the cross. Now, it had a bit of blood on it. I clench my hand and look back up just fast enough to see her run to the left in the last-minute. The boy from Five lost his balance close to edge and fell.
She's okay. She survived the first day. She's safe, no one is close to her at all.
I sighed in relief.
"She okay?"
"She's fine."
"You know? Mags told me no matter how much you try to dehumanize them, no matter what you do, no matter how many times you do it, it'll always hurt to do this. You'll always feel guilty."
"Do you think she'll win?"
"No."
My heart sinks. "You haven't even given her a chance."
"I don't need to. He's trying to teach us a lesson. He won't give us what we want."
I know as that second that it's true.
