I do not own The Hunger Games.
Finnick Odair is precious.
The Girl With The Green Eyes
Annie Cresta Creeps
She talks to them.
Annie does.
"Thank you."
The Avoxes.
Like they're people.
"The food is very good."
And of course they're people.
The Avoxes.
But nobody talks to them.
"Your hair is very pretty."
They're the Mute Invisibles.
People punished by the Capitol for their supposed crimes.
". . . answer anyway, Annie. The Capitol had their tongues cut out."
Harshly.
"What? Why?"
And nobody ever . . .
"Who knows? It's dangerous to ask questions. Just don't . . ."
. . . talks to them.
She also gives gifts.
"Here. I made this for you."
Annie Cresta does.
"I know I'm not a very good tribute."
Real gifts.
"I know I'm not going to get sponsors."
Not Capitol gifts.
"Or bring honor to our district."
Flashy, superficial gifts given to him by patrons to ease the burden on their insipid minds of buying another human being for pleasure and not always that.
"But thank you for trying anyway."
Annie Cresta gives real gifts.
"Uh, shouldn't you give this to someone at home?"
Handmade.
"There isn't anyone."
From home.
"Oh."
Their home.
"I made one for Mags too."
Their home they once belonged to.
"I think she'll like it."
The home they could belong to again.
"She's a wonderful lady."
In their dreams.
"Yeah. She is."
And he looks at it in his hand, this thing she's given freely to him.
"Yeah."
And makes himself . . .
"Thank you. Annie."
. . . say it.
"You're welcome, Finnick."
Shit.
He leaves it on the dresser of his room at the Tribute Tower.
He doesn't carry it with him.
It's just a thing.
It doesn't mean anything.
He'll probably throw it away when The Games are over anyway.
Unless she survives.
Which isn't going to happen.
But he keeps being drawn back to it.
Spiral and see-through.
Conical and delicate.
Striated brown and tan.
Strong.
In its own way.
This talisman, this memento of the District 4 fisherman.
The sea.
This necklace.
A single slice of telescopium snail shell.
Tied with ocean-blue waxed linen cord.
She had brought the shells with her from home, good luck from home.
And she'd wanted him to have one now.
Good luck and safe travels.
For helping her.
Helping her.
Help her.
He still doesn't love her.
He still doesn't even care about her.
He can't.
She's just battle fodder for The Games, for the entertainment of the Capitol.
For the control and power of President Snow.
But he can't help it.
"Hey. Avil."
He just can't do nothing.
"Hey."
The sulking District 4 male tribute looks suspicious, trapped there in the white washed halls of the Tribute Tower.
Understandable.
Finnick's barely talked to his own tribute.
"Listen, I want you to help her get away tomorrow."
Much less this one that he's passed off to Calvert and Bothroy.
"What?"
So he gets that this guy, with his shifty dark eyes and long dark hair . . .
"Annie. Help her get away. Just at the beginning."
. . . would think he's out of his mind.
"Why? I don't owe her anything."
And he probably is.
"No. But I'll owe you. And I can get you sponsors. And those sponsors can get you supplies, weapons. Medicine. Food."
But that doesn't change anything.
And the guy scoffs.
"I don't need your help. I've got my own mentors. People like me. I don't need your help."
And Finnick shrugs.
"Maybe."
Nods.
"But still . . ."
He expected this reaction.
". . . I've good connections at the Capitol."
He gets people.
"People know me."
Knows them.
"Nobody knows Calvert and Bothroy."
And then he pulls out his shark smile, wide, all teeth and glittering, dead eyes.
"And you don't want me working against you, do you?"
Watching in grim satisfaction as the boy pretends not to flinch, fear tickling the base of his lizard brain.
"You wouldn't do that. We're from the same district."
Finnick shrugs again, pops a sugar cube.
Just for the dismissive look of it.
"Well, no reason to try and find out, is there?"
And grins.
Ah, Finnick and his smiles.
He's got all kinds, doesn't he? ;)
So, truth time, I wrote this and then accidently erased it and had to write it again. So hopefully it's still good.
The title is from the book when Katniss asks if Finnick fell in love with Annie immediately.
He replies, "No. She crept up on me."
And the necklace he's wearing when he's Reaped for the 75th Hunger Games is purportedly from Annie.
So I made this up.
Hope you enjoyed! :D