Hey there!
Here's chapter two and I really hope you like it.

It's really long, and I'm sorry it took a wee bit longer than I hoped, I just wanted it to be perfect grammar wise, and I hope it is.

THOUGH, Finnick and Annie are kids here, so when they talk if it sounds a little childish that's because they are children :)

Thanks sooo much to everyone who reviewed and for the story alerts. Please review again, because I really want to know how I'm doing, and your guys' feedback is the most important of course!
I don't own anything-I wish I did, but I don't. I mean, Nero and Lancen are mine, but they aren't really in this chapter a lot.

Enjoy :)

Eight years before the sixty fifth annual Annual Hunger Games.

/Finnick/

I wake up in the morning in my bed. My lips are parted slightly as I feel the wetness on my pillow. Appalled, I sit up and quickly realize I was drooling in my sleep. Blushing I look around to make sure no one is there. I quickly flip the pillow over to a nice clean white side. My eyes avert my pillow in embarrassment.

I wearily step off my bed, and trip over one of my books, which are scattered all over the floor. I get up back up and see I fell asleep in my clothes. I usually do, I stay up late reading books about how to make new knots, and others about different fishing techniques. I am fascinated with the different ways to do things. I will bring a small piece of yarn my mother would us to sew, and steal a flashlight from my brother's room. I turn the flashlight on at night, under the covers, and practice the knots.

I don't feel like changing, so I remain in my shorts and t-shirt. I walk to the mirror and grin into it, and see my missing front tooth. I run my hand over my tousled bronze hair as I see my brothers do when they wake up. I turn, and go back to my bed, and stare at the window about four feet above my bed that has a view of the ocean. I wistfully yearn to see the ocean, the waves, the sky, and the sand. I get on my bed cautiously, making sure my screeching bed would not wake up my mother, her tempers flare when she finds me standing on my bed. In fact, her tempers flare more and more often since my father died. I pull up the heel of my foot to try and gain some height, and I succeed in seeing through the round window.

I see the waves crashing and feel the urge to go there, even though the sky is getting cloudy, and the sun is barely raised. It's not even that nice out yet the beach is my home, and I can't imagine not being near it. I always feel a yearning coming from my stomach. Perhaps that is from hunger right now, but I'm not entirely sure.

I want to go to the beach, I decide. I look at the clock though, and it's seven in the morning, and mother isn't an early riser. I will have to wake her up before I leave, which will undeniably annoy her. She hates being woken up in the morning, especially by me.

I get up and leave my room, creeping by my older brother, Lancen's room. He's been gone for a while. I haven't seen him in two years. Mother says he's not here anymore, and I wonder where he is, or when he is coming back. Last I remember he volunteered to be a tribute in some kind of tournament. I shrug it off, and pass his room.

I walk even slower by my other brother Nero's room, and take a deep breath. If I were to wake him up there is no doubt he'd punch me or something. He is harsh, and is vicious. Nero is about six years older than me, he doesn't really like me I believe. I barely ever see him, he is often training, and working on his strength, but when I do he sneers whenever I pass by him, and rolls his eyes whenever I speak of my interests. Mother says he just wants to be hard on me so I am my best, but I know better. He hates me. I don't like too talk to him very much, honestly I am a bit intimidated by him.

I pass his room, and exhale, and walk to my mother's room. I always have to take a deep breath before I enter. I get nervous when I talk to her, and I'm not to sure why.

"Mother," I say quietly.

I don't see her face, it is covered by a mixture of hair and pillows. Her nose is only slightly visible outside of her blanket of bronze hair. Her body is weaved within the blankets, and you can tell she's been tossing and turning all night. She doesn't sleep well now that she doesn't have my father with her. She grunts lightly at the sound of my voice. She sits up slightly with her eyes squinted at me.

"What Finnick?" She snaps.

I frown at her tone, and my eyes shoot to the ground. "Sorry for waking you, I am going to the beach okay?" I murmur.

She lays back down and mumbles a slurred and cold, "Fine." My eyebrows furrow, but I nod and turn.I close her door and walk down the stairs.

Once at the bottom I go to the kitchen. I open a bag and rip off a piece of bread. I stuff it in my mouth and chew. I leave the bag open and just walk out of the kitchen, and out the front door. A little gift for Nero and Mother when they wake up-stale bread.

My house is right on the beach, and I go there nearly everyday. I get to the sand, and feel only slight warmth in it today, rather than it burning my feet. The wind is blowing hard, and pushing my hair back in the air, and goosebumps emerge on my arms.

I run around for a little, but then step on something sharp. I growl in pain, and pick up my foot to see seashell in the ground. It's a conch shell, and even though it's rough, it's beautiful and is full of colors. I immediately love it, the way the colors mix, the texture, everything. I grip it tightly in my hand and smile.

What a lucky thing to have happen to me, I think to myself, I rarely ever am satisfied with any shell.

"That's mine you know," A voice says. I look up and see a girl about two years younger than I.

She has tan skin, dark brown wavy hair tied up in pigtails, amazing green eyes and slight freckles. She is staring at me with her huge eyes, and a slight smile.

"No it is not," I murmur. I hold it up, "Finders keepers," I say simply, repeating what I heard Nero say when I was younger.

She giggles a bit. "I wasn't going to take it back," She says to my dismay.

I scowl, "Well... Why not?" I snap.

She shrugs. "You found it."

I look at her confused. "Don't you want it? It's a cool sea shell."

She grins slightly, "It brings good luck," She says randomly.

"How do you know?" I ask accusingly.

She looks at me blankly. "I don't, I just believe it does. I mean, we aren't dead are we?"

I pick up my foot. "That good luck shell hurt my foot!" I moan.

She laughs, and looks at my foot. "It wanted to find you." She says breezily. "I buried it in the ground, because I read in a book if you bury something in the ground, whoever finds it will be your true love."

I stare at her shocked. "I'm not your true love I am only six!" And then I avert my eyes from hers and transfix them on the shell. How much power did this simple little thing posses according to this girl?

Her laughter reduces to giggles. "It was just a book, I don't know if it is true."

I hold the shell out. "You can have it," I say. I don't want this to decide my fate.

"No, you have it, if you ever need luck," She close his hand.

She turns away to leave, but some impulse makes me quickly say, "What is your name?"

She turns back, "Annie. Annie Cresta, how about you?"

"Finnick Odair," I say proudly.

Annie smiles at me and says, "Finnick, what an cool name. Well Finnick, besides what the book says about you being my true love, I believe you were meant to find that sea shell for a reason, and I would like to make sure my lucky charm is doing well so can we meet more often?"

I think about all the horrible things going on at home and I find myself nodding.

"Every day, ten to two," I say to her.

She holds out her pinkie, "Pinkie swear?"

I nod and wrap my pinkie finger around hers.

She grins, and I let go of her finger.

She turns and runs off, then stops, waves, and yells, "Finnick, don't forget!"

I find myself smiling after she leaves, and excited to see her tomorrow. I sit in the sand and catch my breath, and stare at her figure moving away. She was so bold, so different than all the girls in my class. Without my permission, my mind thinks, that is the girl you are going to marry. I scowl, wondering why I just thought that. I would not marry her, I am only six like I said. Then I look at my foot, and don't feel any pain any more, in fact, it feels better than ever. I stare at the shell, and look at it. I toss it up and catch it. Maybe it was lucky.

I look at my watch. Nine fifty-eight. Where is she? I search around bewildered.

She's not coming, a voice saws negatively in my head. I sigh and look at my watch again. Nine fifty eight and thirty seconds. No one in sight. I kick the sand nervously, and frantically looking around. I was actually looking forward to this. I frown, thinking this was one of the only thing that I have looked forward to in a while. I sigh wistfully and bounce on the balls of my feet.

Nine fifty-nine and fifteen seconds. Thank gosh I read that book that thought you how to tell time. Tick tock, tick tock. No one in sight, not even a little girl of four.

To think I actually believed she would keep her promise? Never trust a little kid, I scold myself. Tick tock, tick tock.

I put my hand in the pocket of jacket, and feel fuzz, and a small smooth surface. I grip the object and pull out the shell. Fifteen more seconds. I stare at the shell and grip it in tightly in a fist. Good luck? Sure it is, I think with an annoyed smirk on my face. It has brought me to sitting alone on a chilled beach, looking like a fool.

I look at my clock again. Five... Four... Three... Two...

I look up and I see two green eyes staring at me widely. I am shocked, confused as to where she came from. She crosses her arms, reading my expression. "What?"

I am speechless and just stutter a few words before she cuts me off.

"What? You thought I wouldn't come."

I blush slightly. How is she so bold? Her tan arms uncross as she rose an eyebrow.

I remain silent in shock.

"Well, answer me," Annie says tapping her foot, trying to look like an adult.

"I did not..." I utter a few words, but see her expression as unconvinced.

She rolls her eyes. "Finnick, you look scared. Why?"

"I thought you wouldn't come," I say sheepishly.

"Oh," She responds scowling. "Well, why?" She snaps.

I point at my clock, "You weren't here yet, and I didn't think you were going to come, and it was almost ten o'clock, and well..."

Annie frowns to my confusion. "My mother wouldn't let me come, she yelled at me. So I sneaked out, that was why I was late," She murmurs.

"Why did she yell at you?" I ask her.

She stiffens and quickly responds, "None of your business!" I nearly laugh because she pronounces business like busy-ness.

"Okay, fine." I mumble. "So what do ya wanna do?"

She shrugs. "Swim? Collect seashells? Race? Make a-"

I cut her off and say, "Let's race!" I say ecstatic. I love racing, I'll most likely beat her at that.

She shrugs. "Fine," She says, a little confused, but I am already looking for destinations to race to.

"Oh Finnick?" Annie says breezily. "I don't ever break a promise!"

Two years before the 65th annual Hunger Games.

"Finnick," I hear Annie's voice in my ear, a tingle runs down my spine as I feel her breath on my skin. "It is too tight," She takes my callous hands in hers and loosens the knot.

I grin at her, "Who knew you'd become better at knots than me," I say as she removes her soft fingers away.

She smiles. "I did," She teases. I roll my eyes at her. She goes back to her side and ties her knots for the net. "Finnick," She says, and on command I look up at her. "You know you are still better than me."

I smile to myself and don't answer because it is true. I drop the ropes and grimace.

"What?"Annie says jokingly. "The kid can't take anymore."

"Annie, I cannot feel my hands," I laugh.

She drops her ropes and comes over and rubs circles in my knuckles, and I drape my legs across hers.

"What's bothering you Fin?" She asks carefully, without lifting her head up. How does she know something is wrong? "You're tying too tight."

"Annie," I say, and on command her head darts up to my response. "I am scared for the reaping," I murmur.

She rubs the circles softer, as if soothing me. "Fin, it will be okay, you won't get picked, and if you do get picked someone'll volunteer."

I look down. "How do you know that?" I think back to the day where I said that about the seashell and I have not had anything terrible happen to me, and I see the same look in her eyes, and I believe her. I think of something else, and ask her quizzically, "What if I were to die, how would you cope?"

She raises an eyebrow, "But you won't get reaped. And you will not die."

"Why?" I ask. What does she see in me that I don't?

She looks at me seriously. "Because you will pinkie swear you will not die, not unless you're an old man and you are ready."

"You too, except an old woman," I say and she laughs. I hold up my pinkie and she wraps hers around mine. It is odd we still did this, but I do not care. "But..." I say and she groans. "If I were to die in some random event..." I sat slowly, and then quickly add, "What would happen to you."

"Then you would have broken your pinkie swear..." She argues.

I grab her hands, and pull her slightly closer to me. "Annie, forget the pinkie swear, just if I did," I peer at her through my eyelashes. "What would you do?"

Annie stares at our hands intertwined. "I would want to go with you," She whispers.

"Why?" I ask her curiously.

She smiles, and says seriously, but also happily, "You are, like, my favorite aspect of the day." I wrap my arm around her waist and she leans her cheek on my shoulder. I tug a piece of her hair and she gets darts back up off my shoulder. I take a moment to absorbs how she looks as she laughs and slaps my hand. Her green eyes are as beautiful as the first day I met her. Her freckles are disappearing, and her wavy hair is to her waist. I smile. I wait, but she doesn't ask me the same question back. I am not sure why. She stands up and walks around the net and sits next to me. "You are my best friend Finnick," She says.

The words best and friend were my both my favorite and least favorite words. It is my favorite words because she considers me as her best friend. It is my least favorite because she probably considers me as no more. I blink quickly, wondering why I kept on thinking random thoughts where I want to be more than just friends with her. That little voice in the back of my head is getting louder and louder. I wonder if I was meant to find that seashell. I'm confused, but I smile though, and continue to tie the rope.

Hey guys, this chapters really long I know, but I hope you liked it :)

I kinda like this story better, and I would LOVE it if you would review, but as always thanks for reading.

I'll update soon, okey dokey?

Btw, did Finnick and Annie sound childish enough, because I HATE stories where they are like five and they sound like a twenty year old.

Thanks!

-New Lights :D