Author's Note: Hi Everyone. Sorry for the wait with this chapter. I was down at my Dad's and I forgot my dongle. So yeah, no internet for a couple of days as he only has the one dongle himself and he needed to use it for work.
Um, a tad worried about what everyone will think about this chapter. When I said I was doing this fic different from all the other "Annie's Games' fanfics that are out there, I really, really meant it. This fanfic is different from all the rest that I have read and I'm praying that I will not be shot because of it. What differences I've made are not terrible, they're just different. I'm just making Annie's games just a little more awful than they already are, but I won't say anymore here as you'll discover what I mean by the end of this chapter and hopefully you will not hate me for doing this to poor Annie.
Anyway, please read and enjoy this chapter, let me know your thoughts. No flames, but I do listen to any creative criticism that you may have.

Chapter Five

I've been shaving my body since I was an early teenager, because of my swimming, but I've never waxed and after this experience, if I survive the Hunger Games, I never will again.

R-i-i-i-p!

I bite down hard upon my bottom lip as Cersie, a woman with golden skin and silver tattoos yanked at the strip on fabric on my leg, tearing the already short, nearly invisible hair straight from my skin.

"Sorry," she said in her high-pitch silly Capital accent, "at least you're not as hairy as some of the others we've had to deal with." She giggles and I fight down the desire to be angry at her, to snap at her about how many of these "others" were in fact dead, and to not speak of them in such way. But somehow I am able to hold my tongue, if only because she was tearing at another strip of fabric from my leg and I had to bite down on my bottom lip again, to keep from crying out.

I try to remember what Finnick told me, to not think about these people as people, to not feel embarrassed with what they are doing to me.

But it's hard, especially when you are completely naked, lying on a table with three very strange people, both in looks and character, working over you as your some kind of plaything or doll. I have a hard enough time being naked with Finn – at first - let alone being comfortable with a bunch of people who are dressing me basically for my death.

I feel completely vulnerable and not in the way that I feel when I'm with Finnick. At least with him, I know that he loves me and will take care of me, these people…

"Last one." Cersie squeals and I brace myself, both against her and the other two prep teams loud annoying voices and for the pain to come.

It comes and then it goes, though my whole body feels sore and tingly. I fight the desire to cross my arms across my chest, to try and cover some part of me, to give me some modesty.

I was greased down with some kind of oil, before being allowed to stand, only for the three insane people to come at me with tweezes, hunting for some hair that they might have missed during the waxing. They seem quite disappointed when they find none and I'm allowed, finally to pull of the rope that I got to wear off and on.

I yanked it on to me, wrapping it firmly around my body. It didn't give much protection from the outside world, but it gave enough to make me feel covered.

"You really are such a pretty thing. Especially now that you look human." Said Sansia, a woman who had purple hair and bright, electric blue eyes – I wasn't sure if that was her natural eye colour or she had them altered – and a black tattoo of flowers on her right cheek.

"Thank you." I said sweetly. "I feel much more human now, thanks to all of you." A lie of course but it made them happy.

"Such pretty hair." Enyia said softly. She was the quietest of the prep team and looked the most normal. Her hair was a fiery red and her eyes were the softest violet colour.

She smiled at me sweetly as she brushed my hair, "and you're eyes… they're like emeralds."

Emeralds? Oh, they're a stone, a gem stone. I've never seen one though, so I'd just have to take her word on it.

I smiled shyly back at her and I felt that maybe she, at least, felt bad about what was going to happen to me in a few days time.

"Right, let's call Eyria." The other two babbled excitedly and I once more forced myself to smile for them.

"Eyria is my older sister." Enyia informed me quietly while the other two went off to call Eyria and we walked into another room, a sitting room where two blue sofas faced each other over a low table. I look out the window – which is really the whole fourth wall of the room that we had just entered - and see that it is late afternoon.

"Oh?"

"Yes. She's very good and she'll take in your…" she smiled apologetically as she waved a hand up and down my body, "desire to be modest." She finished and I felt my cheeks flush crimson.

"I'm just not use to this… any of this. It's a lot…"

"To take in?" She finished for me and I nodded. Enyia looked to be about my age, maybe a year or so older, but she seemed to hold years of wisdom in her violet eyes. I wondered what she had seen, what she had been through to possess such wise eyes.

"My sister will make you look beautiful. More beautiful than you already are and the Capital will love you." she informed and I smiled my first true smile for the day. It was small smile but Enyia seemed to be able to tell that it was real.

Just then the doors of the room open and a pretty, tall young woman walked in.

She had the same fiery hair and violet eyes as Enyia, but I could tell that that was where the resemblance between the two sisters ended. I could tell already that where Enyia was quiet and gentle, this woman walking towards us was loud and meant business.

"Hello, Annie. I'm Eyria, your stylist." Her voice wasn't as high as I had heard my prep team voices, nor was her Capital accent as defined, but it wasn't as soft as Enyia. It was deep and had a husky sound to it, that I know most men, at least the men in District Four would think it was sexy.

"Hello."

"Could you stand up for me? And possibly remove your rope? Only for a moment, if you would please." She added when she saw my face.

With a small sigh, I nod and stood up from the sofa that I had sat down on while I had waited for her to arrive. I remove my rope and let it fall and as I do, I stare up at the ceiling.

Eyria circles me slowly; her eyes I know are taking in every detail of my body. I feel self conscious but I fight back against it.

They're not real people; they're not people at all. Except with these two, they felt like people.

"Enyia." Eyria says after a moment. I hear Enyia stand up from the sofa, "Could you go and get my sketchbook for me, please?"

"Of course." And Enyia left the room.

I felt sad about this; I liked Enyia and wished that she could have stayed.

"You can put your rope back on." Eyria said after a moment and I pulled it back on as fast I can.

"He said you were modest." Eyria said as she sat down on the sofa opposite me. I looked at her puzzled.

"Who said?"

"Oh, your mentor, Finnick Odair." She said his name calmly, almost off-hand, not becoming one bit flustered as I saw most other women become when they are around him or even mention him.

"You spoke with him?" I asked.

"Um hmmm," she said with a nod of her head, "he had some ideas for your costume. He saw the original one and thought you might not like it very much."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry. I've made all the changes that will hopefully make you feel completely comfortable and beautiful while still pleasing the audience."

"Um, thank you."

She smiled.

"You're welcome. I didn't much like the original costume, I must admit. I was quite pleased when Mr Odair gave me a reason to make some changes to it. Mind you though, my partner isn't very happy about it, but then he's always like's dressing the girls a little too… flashy." I gulp and she laughs.

"But that isn't an issue any more. The costume is modest while still giving off the impression of sexiness."

"Thank you." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Are you hungry?" the rumble of my stomach was her answer and she chuckled, a deep, throaty sound.

She pressed on a button on the side of the table. I gasped as its top splits and from somewhere below rises a second tabletop that holds our lunch. Fish in a creamy yellow sauce, lying on a bed of potatoes and green peas, bread rolls shaped as flowers and for dessert a cake made of chocolate and when broke into it, warm liquid chocolate oozes out.

It all smelled delicious but I ate carefully not wanting to upset my stomach and vomit again. I was getting quite tired of vomiting.

"When are you due?" Eyria asked suddenly. I had noticed that she had been watching me carefully; a sad look in her eyes, but her question threw me off.

"Pardon?"

"Your baby? When is it due?"

I felt myself start to gag on the food that I have just swallowed.

"Baby? What baby?" I gasped, feeling the nausea that I had been trying to keep at bay all day starting to take control.

Eyria looked startled.

"You did not know?"

"Know? Know what?" I was gasping. "There's nothing to know. I mean, there isn't – I'm not…" I trailed off, letting my mind think. I was late for my monthly bleeding, but I've never been regular with it - it's thought to be because of all my swimming - so I never think twice about it when I do miss my bleeding for the month. Why should I? I means, a month without cramps and feeling disgusting. But now… I thought for another moment and realised that I've in fact missed two monthly bleedings and my heart starts to panic.

"How – how can you tell?" I gasped, trying to stay calm.

"Your body is already showing the signs of change, the signs of change that only come when one is pregnant. As a stylist, it's my job to make note of all changes of a human body, including the changes that are made because of pregnancy."

I feel wetness on my cheeks and realise that I am crying.

"I didn't know. I didn't even suspect. I – I." I buried my face into my hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry. I did not know." Eyria says as she comes to crouch by my side. "If I had known that you didn't know, I would have not said anything, to save you further pain."

"No," I said through my tears, "I'm glad to know, but…"

"No one else knows. Except for maybe my sister, but rest assured she will not tell a soul. Nor will I."

"Thank you." I said thickly, lightly touching my belly as I do so. How was I going to tell Finnick? No, I couldn't, not when I'm about to enter the Games, about to die. It would kill him. I'm sure.

So, don't die. Live for yourself… and for Finnick's baby. Keep his baby alive.

Enyia comes back into the room with Eyria's sketchbook and together they show me the altered sketch of my costume, which just about takes my breath.

"I love it." And the two of them grin.

Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm a terrible person for making Annie pregnant. I don't even know why I did, her being pregnant just sort of ended up being written in this fic, it wasn't originally planned. But you have to admit it does add an extra layer of drama and also, another thing to cause Annie to loose her mind after her games.
But anyway, hopefully you won't all hate soo much for doing this to poor Annie and stop reading this fic, I just wanted to be different.
Chapter Six will be up soon-ish. Reviews are much loved.