Chapter Nine
Where Annie breaks
The newly formed alliance slept in shifts. Annie was on watch through the late hours of the night and early of the morning since she had taken a nap the afternoon before and Hollis and Cael were just exhausted from the first day of the Games. She crawled from the burrow and sat in the pouring rain, terribly lonely with only the sounds of the snoring boys behind her to soothe her. When Annie began feeling so painfully alone and helpless that she began to see shapes and hear voices in the trees, she snatched her backpack out from under the tree roots and took out the ropes. Annie tied basic traps and nets to keep her fingers busy and herself distracted. She had finished four basic traps, a noose, and a net tightly woven enough for fishing in District Four.
The next shift began when the sun rose over the horizon, bringing new bright colors to the sky and the damp forest. Hollis roused when the light began to pour into the burrow, careful not to look at the light reflecting off of the river which had flooded from the rain. The current was rushing faster than ever. Annie waved at him and held her trap for show.
"I think that net at your feet would be of more use," he said groggily, eyes darting at the pile of rope beside her. "Have you tried using it yet, District Four?"
Annie shook her head. "I've been keeping watch for you, remember?" She carefully stuffed the traps and the noose back into the pack and stuffed it into its hiding spot again. She rose to her feet and began to back off towards the river.
"Don't you want a turn sleeping?" offered Hollis, climbing out of the nest. He was cautious as he passed Cael, doing his best not to wake him. He caught Annie's shoulder and looked her in the eyes, dull from lack of sleep. "You need your rest."
"I figure now that you're awake to watch Cael, I could go swimming…" She trailed off, fumbling with the net in her hands. Annie thought she would feel better if she did something else familiar, seeing as tying knots helped ease her mind so much. It was easy to be in an alliance when she forgot it would probably be Hollis killing her off. Annie's eyes darted towards the water, glimmering welcomingly to her in the sunlight. Little waves rose and fell with the gentle current. It was where Annie wanted to be. "To wear myself out a bit more before I sleep again…?"
He looked to the water and back to her face. "Alright, District Four. Just be careful." Hollis retreated to sit back on a root that enclosed the burrow. He faced the forest with his back towards Annie and the river, shoulders hunched over tiredly.
When Annie was sure that he wasn't looking, she slipped from her pants so she was left in only her underthings. Her jacket had been used as a bandage over Cael's wound, and while the clothes were slick and didn't absorb water, it didn't reflect body heat anymore when she washed it out in the river in the middle of the night. Annie wasn't sure if the temperature would remain this warm through the Games, because she would be perfectly fine if it did, but if it changed in the slightest the blanket was only big enough to wrap around her shoulders; she would need her pants to reflect the heat properly if it got colder. She crouched on the edge of the riverbank, waves lapping at her toes. Kicking off her shoes, Annie dove into the water.
Chilled water stiffened her skin and muscles once she was submersed. The river wasn't that deep, but Annie was safely above the rocky bottom. She fought against the tug and suck of the water to break the surface. Gasping for air, Annie smiled into the sun. Swimming had never felt so good. The familiar, instinctive movements she used to keep afloat relaxed her muscles. While she was tired, Annie felt that she could have treaded water for hours.
From his perch, Hollis was clapping. He appeared genuinely impressed. Annie's first reaction was to cover herself, seeing as she was in such little clothing, but then she remembered he couldn't see under the water. "Ten out of ten, District Four!" he called to her, a smile in his voice.
"You're going to wake Cael!" she whispered fiercely to him. Her head bobbed above the waves and she fought to keep from swallowing mouthfuls of water. Annie sank under the waves again, appreciating the feel of the current on her skin more than ever. She emerged again moments later for air and then began paddling around on the surface. She was enjoying herself more than she ever expected to, which was bad when she really thought about it, considering that she was in the Arena.
Annie thought back to the last time she was swimming. It was the day of the reaping and she was sick from stress. Her brothers had taken her out on the water, and though they told the Peacekeepers that kept tabs on the marina it was for fishing purposes only, they had no intentions of working. Fletcher meant to cheer his sister up. When they were far enough out in the bay, where the waves were rocking the boat instead of just lifting it, Vance held her hand and they jumped off the back into the water. She was weak from the lack of sleep and didn't last that long, especially since she hadn't eaten anything either. After only a few minutes of swimming, she climbed back into the boat due to exhaustion and watched as her brothers continued to enjoy themselves. Soon, the way the boat was being thrown about on the water was making her sick, and she nearly passed out under the grey sun. Fletcher brought them all in and fetched a doctor for her, who gave her something to calm her through the reaping which she dreaded so much. Annie felt so guilty now; she should have stuck it out longer because her brothers were happy that morning.
She propelled herself back to shore slowly, exhaustion beginning to wear out her muscles. Annie dragged herself back onto the bank and washed the sand out from beneath her toes. She rose to her feet again when she saw Hollis had turned to the forest again and rung out her dark hair. The warm breeze had her dry in only minutes and she then slipped back into her clothes and the blanket around her shoulders. Annie decided that it wasn't a good idea to attempt fishing when she looked back at the river, for it was deeper than she thought and thus would require more energy. She retreated into the burrow and rested against the tree trunk, watching the water happily.
Cael stirred beside her. In his sleep, he pressed her jacket into his abdomen and gritted his teeth. When he pulled his hands away, Annie saw the blood that had been drawn out of the fabric. It may have deflected the rain, but it absorbed blood like no one's business. Cael shifted, curled into the fetal position, and faced away from her.
"It's funny how you won't let me see you without clothes on, but the rest of Panem isn't a problem," Hollis shrugged. He turned to look over his shoulder at her, a grin sneaking onto his lips, grey eyes flashing. "First the pictures and now every camera in this Arena."
Annie blushed furiously with embarrassment. He always seemed to say just the thing to remind her that she was having a 'fling' with Finnick, probably because he suspected the whole thing was a fake. However, Annie knew that it was anything but. Finnick's poem would have been too cruel of a thing to do if it was fake, which didn't seem like him at all. She ran her fingers over the ring he gave her, thinking about how she had confessed her love for him to all of the cameras in the Arena. "I'm sorry," she muttered. The interviews reminded her that she wasn't the only one separated from someone she loves.
"What for?" Hollis had completely let his guard down now and turned away from the forest. If a Career were to be anywhere near them, they wouldn't stand a chance because they wouldn't see them coming. He looked at her, puzzled.
"Britte," she said, hoping that was the correct name. Annie's memory wasn't serving her well as of late. "Here I am, desperately missing a man I met a week ago and you've got a fiancé in Twelve…" Anxiously, Annie ran her fingers through her thick brunette hair, brushing it over her shoulders.
"She knows I love her," was his only response. Moments later, the mood picked up. Hollis' eyes brightened and he looked at her mischievously. "What'd your brothers think about the whole thing with your mentor?"
Annie shook her head. She had forgotten that she told Hollis about all of them in training; how Fetcher lost his sweetheart to the Games, Vance and his rants about the Capitol, Nero spending his entire winter searching for work in the market because the thought of a fisherman's life disgusted him, Penn and his secret girlfriend that he hid from everyone but her, and Spensa who couldn't say goodbye to her. She was an open book. "I don't know what they're thinking," she said honestly. "I hope they are happy that I was happy with him, but they are probably blowing out of proportion. Making it something it wasn't in their heads and then getting angry defensively." It seemed like a good response.
"I honestly thought the whole thing was a fake in the beginning," he admitted, confirming Annie's suspicions. She didn't know why it mattered so much to her that he saw the truth behind it. "But there is no way he would take it as far as the interviews if it wasn't."
"Yeah…" Annie gazed off into the morning light. She thought to Finnick, how she had been amazed by his beauty and how she saw home in him, and grew sorrowful. Her eyes drooped sadly. She touched the ring again. She had left him in the Launch Room with a question on his lips, now she was dying to know what it had been.
Her head snapped up when she heard a cannon fire. She scanned the Arena for Careers, assuming that they were near, and shrank back instinctively, warily, when she didn't find them. Annie watched a Capitol hovercraft fly overhead and disappear over the trees. She heard it fade away and assumed the death was farther away than she thought – which relieved her greatly.
"That's fifteen now," said Hollis, unmoved. His eyes had deadened again. "There were fourteen killed yesterday at the bloodbath alone, over half of the tributes."
It was too many for Annie to bother asking who they all were. The Careers were definitely alive, which is why it was essential they slept in shifts, and that's who Annie was worried about. Instead, she said, "Anyone worth noting?"
"Hardly." He shrugged, as if that was enough of an answer. "You gonna sleep now?"
Annie nodded, closing her eyes.
It was ironic how her mind brought her happy things while she slept. Things weren't even bad in the Arena yet, she hadn't witnessed any slayings or been attacked, she was safe with Hollis on watch for her. Of course, she was worried about keeping Cael alive, but they had all accepted that he was going to die before the night was out with the gash in his stomach… Still, she wasn't wrecked with nightmares while she slept.
"Annie." Finnick said her name in the loveliest way, which was perhaps the best part of her dream. "Annie, we're going back to Four today. Annie, we are going swimming today. Annie, do you want to go to the square with me? Annie, I think that we should go to the beach." They held hands throughout the entirety of her dream. Other familiar faces flickered in and out, smiling, bringing life to the fantasy; her brothers, her parents, Mags, Rayne and Calypso all made appearances. When she woke, the content happiness had settled into her so comfortably that it took her several moments to process the pack of Careers standing around their burrow.
From One, Mira the twelve-year-old and Pascal the eighteen-year old. From Two, Maroon the sixteen-year-old and Iem the fourteen-year-old. From Four, Rayne Saltwood, as monstrous as ever, staring her down at his grip tightened around a spear. Annie's heart sank. Her family's faces flashed through her mind, and then Rayne, and then Calypso, and then Finnick and Mags. She scanned the Careers again and reached for Cael, bringing him close.
Annie's eyes darted to Hollis, sitting at Iem's feet, body curled around a spear. His head hung limply over his chest, hiding his face. A small squeak escaped her lips in shock as she realized it had been his cannon that had woken her.
"What are we going to do with her?" asked Pascal, cropped platinum hair practically glowing in the light. Annie was losing her sense in her panic; she was yanking Cael onto her lap protectively without thinking of his injury. His eyes fluttered open in distress. He cried out when he saw Hollis as well. The Career looked to Rayne. "It's your call, Rayne."
"Well," grunted Rayne, folding his arms over his broad chest. Somewhere, in the back of both Annie's and Rayne's minds, they both knew their mentors were holding their breath. "He's dead on his own–"
"I cut him!" giggled Mira. Her eyes rolled into her head and back again. Annie cringed. This was what she was going to die looking at. Annie was going to die. Pascal smacked the back of the girl's head.
"And she'll just drive herself mad," he finished dismissively, waving her off. Annie threw herself back against the rough tree trunk in shock. Her strong pulse was deafening her, but she could have sworn that he just made an excuse for her to live. Rayne couldn't kill her. "I think it'd be more entertaining for the Capitol to watch her go insane and it'd keep the Gamemakers off our asses for longer."
There were murmurs of agreement. "Get a good look at him!" squealed Mira, kicking Hollis' corpse in the back. "This could've been you, District Nine!"
Cael was shaking in Annie's arms. She couldn't tell whether it was from fear or mourning or anger. He buried his face in her stomach, hiding his eyes against the blanket. The girl couldn't remove her eyes from her friend's corpse. Her mouth hung open.
The Careers disappeared into the woods, with Rayne trailing behind them. Annie watched them leave with shock and disbelief glazing her eyes. She felt so empty. Not only was the loss unsettling, but so was the sight of his dead body. She and Cael hid their faces as the hovercraft appeared overhead and reached down to retrieve Hollis' body.
Nothing was real except for the cruelty of the Games. Annie, in the back of her tortured mind, was listening to Vance rant about how the Capitol rips kids from their families and throws them into the Arena, expecting them to fight to the death. She thought of Britte, who was sitting somewhere in District Twelve, forced to watch the spearing of her fiancé on television and how her own mourning was nothing compared to that girl's. Soon, Annie wasn't mourning the expected death of Hollis; she was hoping that Britte would be alright – since she was the only one involved that had a chance at living. Annie's thoughts drifted to the wounded boy in her arms, and how much longer it would be before she had to watch his death as well.
Annie gave herself the simple task of sitting upright, since even that seemed impossible to do without motivation. Cael seemed to have taken what Mira said to heart and embraced it, sitting up without hesitation and without care that he ripped open his healing wound again. The pair faced each other in the burrow, eyes sad and saying the words their mouths could not.
"You can leave me now," Cael offered. He peeled her jacket off of the gash in his stomach and gave it to her. "You can take your things and go. You've got a better chance of making it than I do…"
"No!" she said, eyes growing fierce. Annie grabbed his hand. "I can't leave you! I won't leave you." She would feel guilty if she left him, she knew she wouldn't be able to take knowing that she abandoned him while he was dying. But could she stay and watch him die? Was that any better? "I hate all of this!"
Cael hung his head, squinting tears from his eyes. It was taking a much greater toll on him than it was on Annie. She wiped away the tears from his cheeks. They sat in silence for the longest time. Annie thought of Finnick to keep from truly going mad.
Finnick watched as Annie broke down. She and Cael, who was deteriorating irreversibly now, slept off most of the time after Hollis' murder after deciding to take advantage of the Careers sparing them. In her sleep, she sobbed and screamed, sometimes for Hollis, other times for her brothers, but most of the time for him. His heart swelled painfully with longing each time he heard her call for him. He knew that he needed to be there to help her, but there was nothing to be done. Not yet, at least.
"She'll get through," Mags reassured, patting his hand. They sat in the Mentors' Quarters together, each with their eyes glued to the television sets around the room. Twenty-four televisions were installed into the walls, each displaying the actions of one tribute. Sixteen screens were blacked out and most of the mentors had cleared out to return to their districts. The first night was over with, but the 'best' of the Games were still to come. "You know she will."
"You need to have more faith in Rayne," Finnick muttered to her. Annie was calling for him again and he could hardly concentrate on anything other than that.
Mags shook her head. It had been quite some time since she had accepted the fact that there was no way his alliance was going to let him live. District Four's hope for a victor was placed in Annie this year, ironically. "Annie means more to you than Rayne does to me," she said. "As sad as it is, it's true."
"Did you give up on him?" asked Finnick, growing slightly worried. Mags never gave up on anyone, not even after all of these years mentoring kids. She normally expected them to return, that's how she treated him. "Did you give up on him, Mags?"
The old woman shook her head. "No." She flicked off the television. "I don't want you listening to her."
Finnick's eyes widened. Annie had been calling his name in her sleep, and while it killed him every single time, he needed to hear it. With the screen black, she could be dead. He turned to her. She spoke before he could.
"I don't want you listening to her," she repeated. A tear dribbled down Finnick's cheek and she wiped it away. "Last night, Fin, and then she's pretty much won."
The Cresta house sat upon the edge of the cliff, overlooking the rumbling ocean below. It was drowning in sunlight and warm spring breezes, yet the life that normally kept its walls energetic had quickly diminished over the course of a week. Mrs. Cresta spent her days curled in bed, dreading having to go to the square to watch the Games with the rest of the district, while Mr. Cresta was out with his fishing crew in the bay just to escape his cruel reality. No one touched Annie's small corner of the house, they wouldn't dare. The rickety porch was the only other place that housed any stirrings. The boys sat out, watching the sun. Vance had done the math so they were perched at the angle directly away from the Capitol, watching the waves roll in sadly.
Fletcher had nearly lost it several times since Annie had been taken away on the day of the reaping. He was making his own suffering worse on himself, just because of everything that he had already forced himself through. His forehead rested against one of the splintering posts that supported the awning. Quiet words were muttered under his breath angrily.
Spensa, who kept mostly to himself, was perched on the railing. Nero leaned beside him. Together, they were entirely silent as they lost themselves in watching the waves. With aching hearts, they each hoped to hear their sister trudging back to the house, announcing her return from the market. She had been so proud of herself when she gained the confidence to go into town by herself, no longer frightened of the commotion.
Penn hadn't been seen by the brothers for days, not since the day of the reaping. He took one step into the house to shut himself in and found himself walking into one of the nets Annie was mid-way through finishing. After that, he had bolted from the house and spent his time with his girlfriend – they only knew this because she had contacted them to say he was alright, that she was taking care of him. Wrecked with guilt, upon many other things, they supposed.
Vance rested in the grass. His eyes were focused on the whitecaps of the waves, but instead he saw the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. He saw his sister darting from the metal plate straight for the fights, hardly escaping in one piece. She must have been blinded by fear and adrenaline because she didn't even notice the girl from One aiming for her heart with a spear, because she didn't notice her or when the blade sank into the skin of the boy from Nine behind her. That wasn't something his sister would do, but Vance was glad that she hadn't paid it any mind and gotten away safely. He dug his fingers into the soil, clenching fistfuls of grass as the scene replayed again and again before his eyes.
In his lap were nets. Glancing at them now, he could hardly tell what was special about them, they looked just like any other nets you would find along the coast of District Four, but when held up they were more significant. When Vance held them up and it fell open, he could see the careful ties that Annie had made. Not a single knot was fraying, that's how certain his sister's work was, even after a year. Vance found them in a heap at the side of the house, crusted with salt water from times of use. He took them with him almost everywhere now – even though everywhere consisted of his bedroom and the square and the porch.
Annie's laugh echoed in his ears. Her smile kept even the darkest corner of his mind sane. The memory of her warmed his heart. Vance could have spent his time mourning her, but instead he wished her dead. He wanted her suffering in the Arena to be over with. She had always been such a happy girl, very childish and innocent, and he didn't want to see that side of her tarnished. Vance wanted her hurting to be done.
He ran his fingers through the nets, tugging at the thin ropes that held like wire. Vance's heart was panged with sorrow. Annie. Annie. Annie. His sister. He wanted her home, yet he wanted her dead. What the hell was he thinking?
"What time is it?" asked Nero, voice hollow and removed. They all knew what he meant, he was counting down the awful minutes until the time when they had to go into the market square and watch the recap of the Arena's events. He glanced up for a slight second, scanning his brothers.
Vance shrugged. "Who knows?" He clutched the nets in his hands, releasing their salt water scent into the air that wafted into his nose. His vision broke away from the bloodbath and he caught a glimpse of the gloomy ocean.
The brothers sank into silence again. The only sound amongst them was the rise and fall of the waves, sounding something like a slumbering creature. Vance felt heavy. He released a long, exasperated sigh. In the distance, they all could see other District Four citizens excitedly rushing from their homes and work places to the square to see the Games broadcast. It sickened Vance.
Light footsteps padded across the rickety floorboards. A small girl with dark hair and bright eyes appeared behind Vance. He turned to look at her. "I don't want to go," Calypso whispered. It was basically all she had said since she had begun living with the Cresta family. "Your mother doesn't want to go either."
"No one does," Vance replied. He patted the ground beside himself, offering the girl a seat. She had fit in nicely with the rest of them; they formed quite the makeshift family since the Games had begun. She cried herself to sleep every night and normally woke from nightmares screaming her brother's name. Last night was the first night that she slipped in bed between his parents and slept soundly since the reaping. She was not replacing Annie, but Vance felt less pained knowing they were helping her. Calypso crashed into his lap instead, crushing the nets. She was so frail, so tiny – she would tip the scales at fifty pounds soaking wet, even for living in District Four. Vance's arms fell protectively around her. "No one does."
"One of them is going to come home," muttered Spensa with a blank, distant expression. The waves and sunlight were reflected in his eyes. He had to say it like that just because everyone knew he was talking about Rayne, but Annie was still alive. The entire district could see the makings of a victor in him. "The mayor says Mags, his mentor, is already writing his victory speech and tribute to Annie."
Fletcher screamed.
Annie called Finnick's name again in her sleep, stirring in the burrow beside Cael. Her fingers brushed against the ring on her left hand and she was instantly calmed. In the sky above her, Hollis' face was shining down upon them.
I nearly broke down writing this chapter, so I hope it lived up to what I want it to be. I did so much writing practice beyond what I have posted for this story, mostly to define characters more distinctly, and I have grown very attached to Hollis. I hope that all of you feel the same.
Thank you to all of my reviewers/followers/favoriters! I sincerely appreciate you all. And I don't want to sound ungrateful, but it felt like I did something wrong because not many people reviewed. I want to know what you guys think so I can improve, without reviews that won't happen! Please let me know what you thought!