SORRY guys, sorry sorry sorry. It's the only word I can say, and I can't say it enough. I haven't given up on this story, and I don't plan on it! The past few weeks have been craaaazy, I was away on a school trip, finishing up a semester, and just yesterday I had my last exam. Even then, I'm taking a whole bunch of volunteer positions, all to do with journalism - so it means I've had to write some other stuff before I turned my attention to Translucent Waters. I hope you guys haven't given up on me!
Don't know why I'm still afraid
If you weren't real I would make you up now
I wish that I could follow through
I know that your love is true
and deep
as the sea
But right now
everything you want is wrong,
and right now
all your dreams are waking up,
and right now
I wish I could follow you
to the shores
of freedom,
where no one lives.
Honey and The Moon; Joseph Arthur
ANNIE'S POV
I pushed myself onto my toes, eyes downcast as I recalled the events of last night. They still seemed surreal... but it had happened. Hadn't it?
It would make sense that it had all been a dream. The peaches, the stars, Finnick. It was a recipe for a love-struck Capitol girl's nightly fantasy. But I had felt his hand rest on mine; felt the electricity shoot throughout my limbs. I felt the tears trickle down my cheek. Felt the silence of our goodbye ring in my ears.
I replayed his beautiful face, so close to mine, wondering what he -
"Annie," Amphitrite's hands shook my from my reverie. His tone was serious, his eyes concerned. "Let's try you out at some more offensive techniques. We need to figure out what you're best at."
I sighed and nodded, following him to a nearly empty station filled with black leather whips. I eyed the metal-studded weapons with contempt, taking in every curve and line of the object that could soon be killing me or maiming someone else.
With a deep breath I approached the weapon, feeling the surprisingly heavy object in my hand. The instructor was babbling something into my ear excitedly while Amphitrite stood off to the side, arms folded, looking uninterested.
I silenced the jabbering of the man by muting him in my own head, gripping the leather with unexcited fingers. Slowly I brought my hand up, my wrist flexing naturally against the weight, feeling a pleasantly heavy tug. Without a thought I flicked the whip at a dummy twenty metres away, barely concentrating on my target. I set the whip down immediately, uncomfortable with the familiarity I held with it. Briefly I glanced upwards to check if I'd done any damage - and indeed I had. Some massive damage. Fatal damage. The sharp metal barbs of the whip had torn right into the simulated flesh of the dummy and ripped it apart, cotton falling in light chunks onto the floor. The whip had sliced it almost in half, a vertical scar running from its neck to hip.
The instructor was suddenly very excited, patting my back with vigor and smiling insanely. Amphitrite was almost as stoic as always, but his eyebrows creased and his mouth parted involuntarily, betraying his shock.
I looked at them, my eyes widening as I turned from one to the other, backing away slowly. I was good at it. I was really good.
I turned and walked away from them without another word, heading straight for the water cooler. I concentrated on the flow of cold liquid from jug to paper cup as I attempted to halt my whirring thoughts.
"Why did you just run away? Annie, you're a natural with a whip! Jeez, where'd you learn how to do that? Why didn't you say anything about this before? I mean, even at the training center -"
"I'm good at it." I stated simply, taking a sip of water.
Amphitrite looks at me oddly, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Well yeah, that's what I'm say-"
"That's why I can't touch it again." I interrupted him, finishing off the small portion of water and refilling it.
"What?" He stared at me. "Are you crazy? This is your opportunity-"
"To kill someone," I cut him off again, eyes searching his solemnly. "That's my chance to kill someone." I ran a hand through my hair, closing my eyes to his stare. I couldn't take the look in his orbs. "I can't do it." I managed to squeak, my voice low and raspy. "I can't consciously take someone's life away."
I opened my eyes, and Amphitrite rubbed his neck in silence. We continued to stare at each other for several awkward more seconds before he broke the silence.
"This isn't voluntary, Annalaese." His words and the soft comfort in his eyes surprise me. "This is the Hunger Games. This is a corrupt system that forces us, young kids, to fight to the death. Do you think anyone would be here by their own will?"
I looked around the room, smiling darkly when I reached the Careers from Districts 1 and 2.
"Besides them?" I teased.
"Even they wouldn't have had to do this if Panem hadn't created this stupid thing," His voice became a whisper but his passion flared, and suddenly I wondered if he was speaking more about himself than the Careers.
I eyed him curiously, taking in his words. "You're right," I decided. "But I still can't do it. I have to play the Games, but I won't kill anyone."
"Annie," He sighed exasperatedly. "You don't know what you're saying... I mean, what if I'm not around and someone comes at you with -"
"I'll run, climb, swim - there are ways around it, 'Trite. And besides, who says I'm going to let you out of my sight?" I allowed myself to stretch my lips into a full smile.
He attempts to smile with me, but he brings his eyes to the floor and draws his lips into a thin line, obviously unhappy with my decision. After several more seconds of silence, he opens his mouth to respond.
"There's something I should -" He cuts himself short, staring over my shoulder.
"What?" I ask. "What are you looking at?" I turn around, eyebrows creasing quizzically at his strange behaviour. Following his line of gaze, it's not long before I see what he does.
The Careers are approaching us. All four of them.
My heart begins to palpitate, my palms sweat, and I grip onto the fabric of Amphitrite's shirt as he moves to stand slightly in front of me protectively.
"Are you going to make an alliance with them?" I ask, my voice nearly inaudible.
I don't want to. I don't. I really, really don't... don't make me, Amphitrite...
"Just let me do the talking." He answers, eyes steely and staring straight through the intimidating foursome.
LISTEN TO: OFF TO THE RACES BY LANA DEL RAY (ON REPEAT)
I nod and begin to analyze the group approaching us. The two from District 2 are obvious, I remember them from the chariots - both dark-haired and tan. The girl couldn't have been over 14, with shoulder-length dark chocolate hair and an angular face. Her eyes flashed with an unnatural brightness and I couldn't imagine the smirk on her lips ever changing into a smile.
The boy was like Amphitrite in that he was stoic, but that was where the similarities ended. He towered over him by several inches, and his caramel-coloured hair was cropped close to his head. His jaw was extremely chiseled, his body large but muscular. He would definitely be a threat.
The remaining two were from District 1, then. Unlike in the last pair, it was the girl who intimidated me more this time. Her white-blonde hair was pulled tightly behind her into a high ponytail, showcasing her sharp cheekbones and gray eyes. She was only slightly taller than me in stature; but it was the look in her eyes that frightened me. It showed no real human emotion.
The boy by her side was surprisingly similar to Carp in looks; so much so that I had to avoid doing a double-take when I gazed at him. He was larger, his hair more voluminous and his lips thinner, but other than that they could have been twins.
"Well, hello District 4." The blonde girl greeted us, no sign of welcome on her pale face.
"Hello," We chorused, Amphitrite keeping his stance, one leg in front of me.
"We've been watching you," The other girl spoke, tilting her head and letting her upper lip slip up into something reminiscent of a snarl.
"And we might be interested in you joining us." The Carp-lookalike finished, his tone bored and impassive but his eyes fastened on mine.
The fourth member of the group, the tall boy from District 2, remained silent, only surveying us.
"Who says we're interested in you?" Amphitrite challenged, staring down the girl from 1.
"Oh, please." She scoffed. "Anyone would be lucky to run with us." She sneered, eyeing us up and down with contempt.
I immediately hated her.
"Speaking of us, I'm Adonis." The boy from her district smiled cockily, shifting his weight as he crossed his arms, displaying the muscles of his arms.
How he must revel in that name, I shook my head internally. Only someone from District 1 would be able to name their child something so ridiculous and vain.
"I'm Vonlea." The blonde added. "And that's Thessaly and Sybilis." Thessaly, the brunette girl, smile-snarled again at her name and Sybilis, the guy, simply nodded.
Vonlea. She was the girl who requested to be Beauty in the dance...
"Annalaese. But everyone calls me Annie." I responded, sending a smile over Amphitrite's shoulder.
Vonlea gave a frown of repugnance at my smile, turning her gaze away from me. "And you, handsome?"
Handsome? I nearly bit through my lip. Was she hitting on Amphitrite? Seriously? It wasn't that he wasn't handsome... but she didn't seem the romantic type, per se.
"Amphitrite." He answered monotonously, not satisfying her with flirtation. Then again, I wasn't sure Amphitrite could flirt. He seemed too serious to do something so trivial.
"We've seen what you two can do, and you just might be a helpful addition to our pack. Amphitrite, you have some strengths with spears and swords worthy of our group. You, Annie, we were still on the fence about -" Vonlea eyed me coyly, taking satisfaction in sizing me up. I resisted the urge to step fully behind Amphitrite and curl up - that was what she wanted.
Amphitrite's eyes turned cold as stone. "We're a package deal, Vonlea. I don't join without Annie."
"Oh, hush." She batted her eyes at him. "You didn't let me finish my sentence, darling."
Adonis shifted uncomfortably next to her, glaring at the back of her head. He subconsciously leaned closer to her, but she took several steps towards us and away from him.
"We were on the fence till we saw your skills with the whip. We could use that... I mean, not even Sybilis is that good with it, and he knows how to use everything," She circled us, shrugging nonchalantly.
I didn't trust this girl. At all. Everything about her was poisonous - with her there was no doubt; as soon as we turned our backs, we'd find a knife in them. But they were the Careers. Refusing them would be more dangerous than anything else.
"So, what will it be?" Vonlea narrowed her eyes and returned to her post at the head of the Careers.
"How do we know you won't just stab us in the back?" Amphitrite asked, cocking his head with an abundance of courage I couldn't fathom.
"Oh, I will." She smiled, a movement that looked like a piranha's grimace, and a shiver ran down my spine. Everything about her felt wrong. She turned her attention from Amphitrite to me, eyeing me with supremacy. The pit of my stomach churned, and my fists began to ball themselves.
"It's just a matter of if we stab her first," I finished for her, not letting my eyes move from her own.
Her expression fell for a diminutive second, so quickly it was almost unperceivable, before she returned to her carefully guarded facade.
We stared at each other for several more seconds, no one daring to interrupt our silent battle.
Vonlea opened her mouth to respond when Faith and Fathom called our attention to the center of the room.
"The training center will be closing within the next few minutes. For those of you participating in the dance, grab your things and come with us." The girl I recognized as Faith - she had a singular black freckle on her left cheek, while Fathom did not - waved at us and began to exit the room.
"So do we have a deal?" Vonlea hissed, sharing her venomous gray eyes between me and Amphitrite. "You join our pack, and in turn, we don't kill you - at least not in the beginning."
Amphitrite leaned towards the ground and snapped up both our bags in one fluid movement. "For now, Vonlea." He answered, walking towards the door without so much a glance in their direction.
"They could be the death of us," I whispered, keeping my body posture calm and unaffected as we wound through the hallways, following Faith.
Amphitrite turned his eyes to me temporarily, face betraying nothing as we struggled to protect our conversation from our new alliance.
"Or we could be the death of them."
END MUSIC.
"The dance does not require skill so much as it requires grace," The voice of Mariou Bever, the choreographer, reverberated throughout the room.
He was a stern man, with tendrils of gray hair that fell in perfectly coiffed waves to just below his ears. His face was not completely unattractive, but with a high and pointed chin, sharp cheekbones, and close-set, small eyes he wasn't handsome either. But he moved with such poise it left one in shock; and he could have looked worse - but for some reason he had refrained from Capitol aesthetic alterations.
"There are two parts to this - this show," He explained, walking slowly around the room, surveying his would-be students. The tributes participating stood at attention in four rows of six, spaced far enough apart he could weave through us. The male mentors were more casually lined up at the back of the room, most looking bored and simply continuing on conversations.
Finnick was among them, but unlike the mass of the bulked-and-buffed men he was paying attention to everything Mariou said - albeit with his hands shoved in his pockets and a blank look on his face. But I knew better by now; Finnick was more than capable of looking one way while feeling quite another.
"The first part involves real dancing, and even some acting," Mariou continued. "You, the tributes, will be partaking in that." He gestured to our general group.
"And the second part..." He glanced towards the mentors. "Well, we'll get to that later." He allowed a smile to creak onto his aged face.
"Now, formations, you lazy buggars! Quick, quick!" He clapped his hands and we startled haphazardly into the pose we had previously shown us.
He surveyed us quietly for a moment before lowering his head into his hands.
"Oh Gods, this is going to be a lot of work."
Two hours later I was sweating, stinging and aching even worse than I had after my first training session. Mariou had yelled at us for the remainder of the hours about how lazy, uncoordinated and clumsy we were. To give him credit, once he saw one of us do something right - which wasn't often - he gave us due applause.
I had managed to replicate the delicate back-bending move he had shown us at one point, and his eyes sparkled when he gripped my face with his hands and shook it.
"Sei bella! Sei bella, darling girl!" He had chanted, seconds before storming off to the front of the pack to yell at the boy from District 6 for dropping his partner. I wasn't sure what the foreign language was, but I gathered it must have been taught in the Capitol.
I was groaning to Amphitrite and attempting to crack my back when Mariou clapped loudly at the front of the room.
"Eyes here! With me! Here, you idle children!" He snapped. "Stand up straight and stop moaning! Your roles are about to be assigned to you," The smile that came on his face made me wary, like a fish of a suspicious hanging net.
"By the President."
With that, Mariou moved to the side of the room, and the formerly solid front wall flickered before completely disintegrating.
The room let out a collective gasp - standing dead center behind the glass of the one-sided wall was President Snow himself, clothed in a pristine white suit and clutching a series of small blank white cards.
President Snow. My heart began to beat faster, and my stomach began to churn. I felt as if I was going to be sick.
He had been watching us this entire time - probably heard our every word, too. Even without his omnipresence he would have been intimidating, now he was terrifying.
"Good evening," His voice boomed into the room. "You have all given an excellent performance today, and I thank-you." My palms suddenly began to sweat, and when he licked his puffy lips I felt my chest heave in repugnance.
I couldn't be around him. It was even worse than Vonlea - with her, I could at least stay in the same room. But something about white-haired Snow made my skin crawl.
"My associates and I will deliberate over who will receive the roles Faith previously dictated to you."
His beady eyes slowly crept from the middle of the room towards me, and for a second everything seemed incredibly silent.
His eyes met mine.
My heart stopped.
"May the odds ever be in your favor."
And like that, the microphone clicked off, the wall reappeared, and he was gone.
Okay, I know that wasn't the most exciting chapter, but you guys deserved SOMETHING. I know by now in most Finnick/Annie FanFics, the story has moved much farther along - and I'm sorry if this is boring for you guys, but I'm really just trying to form their complete story:)
But what did you think of Annie aligning with the Careers? And how about Vonlea? Which (at least in my mind) is pronounced Von-lay. And Mariou is like Mario, but with more of a "ew" sound at the end.. just saying, ahhahhah.
I look forward to your feedback!