Love is a strange, and strong, thing. It connects you to another person in a way you wouldn't think was possible. It also brings a new weakness to your side. Snow knew how powerful love was, and how weak it could make a person.
He knew that as long as Finnick and Annie were in love, he could control both of them, and that's what he planned to do.
Snow had already instructed Plutarch to keep Annie alive. He wasn't interested in killing her just yet. He just wanted Finnick to fear the possibility, so that he would never deny Snow what he wanted.
When Haymitch came to Plutarch to give him Finnick's demands, it was easy. He was able to please both the President, and the Victor. Everything was falling together so beautifully.
Snow had also given Caesar Flickerman specific questions to ask Annie. He told him what to say, and to make the Capitol root for her. Of course, Caesar couldn't deny orders, but was confused as to why it was important. Regardless, he was prepared to make Annie seem like the underdog, and the one to root for.
There was only a small group of people that knew Annie was going to win the games. It wasn't unusual for Snow to force somebody to win. If someone, like Finnick, showed great promise and had citizens lusting for them, he would often ensure their Victory. It didn't matter if it was fair.
It was the day of personal scores, and his plan was falling in place.
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As soon as Gerald and Annie left to meet the other Tributes for scores, Finnick and Mags went to recruit sponsors for their tributes. It was always easy for Finnick to convince them to send more support than they originally planned. Everyone wanted to be the name on the Golden Boy's lips.
"You ready for this?" Gerald asked Annie. The boy from District Three had just gotten called back, and that meant the time was ticking.
Personal scores were one of the most important parts of training for the games. You wanted it to be high so that sponsors would want to root for you, but then you run the risk of being a threat to the other tributes.
Annie shrugged her shoulders, looking towards him. "I don't think I'll ever truly be ready."
He nodded in silence. He understood.
"District Four, Annie Cresta." A voice coming through loud speakers said.
She got up, and began walking into the room.
It was large, and fully concrete. There were racks of weapons, fire making kits, targets, everything that was in the training rooms was in here.
Annie smiled towards the Gamemakers, waving her hand, as if to say "Hello". They sat up above her, with nothing but air between them. She could try to attack them instead of the targets. She wouldn't, but she could.
A tall, husky guy holding a glass of what appeared to be whisky, raised his glass to her. "Annie, you can begin whenever you'd like. You'll have ten minutes."
She nodded, and made her way to the knives. Her hands were clammy, and she felt so small compared to them. Maybe that was the point? They sat so high, and she was so low. Just to prove that she meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Her hand gripped the blade, and she took her swing, throwing the knife into the neck of the target. Annie took a deep breath in, and sighed. That's not bad, I guess.
Her next knife went into the stomach, and the next went into the eye. She didn't know how much time she had, so she grabbed a spear, and threw it as well. It landed in what would be the knee of the dummy. Not so good, she thought, picking up another, and launching it into the heart of the target. Good, Annie. That was good.
Annie made her way to the fire station next, and began creating a fire with two sticks. It took a few minutes, but eventually it was blazing. Next, she went to the screen that showed all the plants you might find in the arena.
She was halfway through selecting the poisonous plants when the tall man spoke again, "Your time is up. Good job, Ms. Cresta."
Annie smiled, "Thank you for your time." She then exited towards the side, feeling a rush of adrenaline.
It wasn't long before Gerald came out, and they both spoke about how it went.
"You hit the target! That's great, Annie." He said this, and then hugged her tightly.
Their relationship was strange. It had only been a few days since they met, but their bond felt unbreakable. Gerald had spent every day watching over her, making sure she was progressing well. He was younger, but had taken care of her the whole trip.
He was ready to lay down his life to protect her, and Annie wasn't sure why.
Regardless, Annie knew that in the end she wouldn't make it. I can't kill someone, she reminded herself daily. It wasn't plausible. Would that change in the arena, though?
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The District Four apartment was filled with anxiety as the announcement of scores plain. Saphira had gotten and eight, and her partner, Sahar, got a seven. District Two, Michaela and Casifer, had both gotten a six.
Annie felt good when she heard Two's scores. If they scored that low, they didn't stand a chance when it came to Saphira.
"Now, let's move onto District Four, with everyone's favorite, Annie Cresta." Caesar said, smiling wildly. Everyone's favorite? He had to just be saying that, she wasn't extraordinary enough for anyone to believe it. "Annie Cresta received a score of.. nine!"
The apartment lit up, cheering wildly.
"Annie, that's incredible!" Finnick said, his eyes bright with hope. He didn't know how she managed to get such a high score, and he hoped that she had earned it. Plutarch wasn't doing them favors by just handing her a high score, he was drawing attention to her.
"Now for Gerald Sinclair, with a score of eight! District Four has really come up this year, folks!" Caesar clapped as he said Gerald's score, and once again the apartment lit up.
Sylvia stood up from her seat, "This calls for celebration! I'll run down and get some champagne, we're going to celebrate our incredible tributes!" She called out, walking through the door quickly, her heels as loud as they always were.
Mags sat there, smiling as Gerald and Annie told them what all they did. She was proud, but worried about the two of them. If they received scores this high, they would get sponsors, but they'd be high up on everyone's list.
She knew that as soon as District One got rid of Two, they would be next. She just hoped that Annie and Gerald were smart enough to realize.
The five of them celebrated all throughout the night, cheering and drinking. Around midnight, they all went to their rooms, exhausted from the day they had.
Annie went into her room, and Finnick followed behind her.
"I'm proud of you, Annie." He said, smiling in her direction.
They both got into sleep attire, and Annie was the first to crawl into bed. Finnick hesitated before joining her under the covers. He placed his arm around her, and she sat her head on his chest.
"Do you think I'm going to make it?" Annie asked. Her voice was quiet, and she pulled herself close to him.
Finnick began playing with her hair, looking down at her face. He wanted to memorize it, all of its curves, all of its beauty. He began counting her freckles. "I think you will, Annie."
She sighed, burring her face in his chest. "Will you sing the song to me?"
Finnick let out a soft laugh, "Of course, love." He began to sing her to sleep. It was a song that his mother used to sing for him when he would wake up from his nightmares. Now, he used it to calm Annie, and to remind him of his mother.
"Hush now, my love,
Close your eyes and sleep,
Waltzing the waves,
Diving in the deep.
Stars are shining bright,
The wind is on the rise,
Whispering words,
Of long lost lullabies.
Oh won't you come with me,
Where the moon is made of gold,
And in the morning sun,
We'll be sailing.
Oh won't you come with me,
Where the ocean meets the sky,
And as the clouds roll by,
We'll sing the song of the sea."
Annie always fell asleep halfway through the song, but Finnick never minded. He just held her close, and breathed in this feeling. The feeling of her head on his chest, and the feeling of her breathing onto him. He wanted to remember how this felt. He never wanted to forget.
A/N:
I want to say that I did not write that song, and I don't have any rights to it. It's just a song that my father used to sing to me. Sooooooo don't get me in trouble :P
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! More will be out soon, but I plan to release a new chapter every other day from now on! Let me know what you think!