Not much is happening since it's the beginning of the Games; I really appreciate anyone reading~
[WARNING: there's a slightly inappropriate section in Finnick's POV]
Annie POV
I lurch forward and sprint towards the cornucopia. I caught a flash of blonde hair and tilted my eyes enough to see that Dorien was sprinting towards the forest. Luckily, he was fast, and easily missed, considering the Careers had slower, more immediate prey to catch. I send a prayer of thanks to whoever may be listening to my thoughts as I realize I'm a much faster runner than the lumbering, clumsy Careers. I grab three knives, a backpack and a loaf of bread, and I'm on my way. I try to ignore the children falling only feet away from me, dribbles of blood pouring out of their mouths and the shimmer slowly leaving their eyes. I'm almost to the forest when the District 1 girl notices me. She begins to run after me, reaching only a few feet away from me, a knife gripped in her hand. I react quickly, and launch one of my knives at her. Luckily for me, it sticks in her upper arm, and blood begins to pour out. By her mixed shrieks of fury and pain, I can tell that it's her throwing arm. I can't watch to see what her reaction is, but I can tell she can't afford to come after me with an injury. I run, as quickly and quietly as I can, and I know that Dorien would've had the good sense to get as far away from the Bloodbath as he could.
Bright day turns to afternoon and I'm beginning to jog, out of breath. I've almost given up on the concept of finding Dorien when I hear a low voice call my name. I arm myself with a knife, and put a scowl on my face, just in case this happens to be a trap. But I see a small, pale hand beckoning to me from behind a berry bush and I slowly head there. "Dorien?" I whisper. I almost gasp in shock when his face pops out, grinning at me. "Check this out!" I crawl under the berry-bush. There's a hollow gap in the tree behind it, the thick bush thoroughly concealing the opening. The gap is very small. Only enough for both of us to sit with our knees up. But it's protection and if the Careers happen to come past here, they certainly won't notice us. Both of us wince as the cannons start to go off, announcing the victims of the blood-bath. There's 13 loud booms, and then everything falls silent.
I don't allow myself to wonder how Finnick is doing. I don't allow myself to think of the thousands of people that are watching me, that will be watching my death. Dorien and I are safe, and we survived the blood-bath with decent supplies, so I allow myself some hope. We open the back-pack, and inside we find a small vial of iodine, a miniscule bottle of water, a pair of gloves, and some beef jerky. The pickings are small and disappointing, but we also have the bread I grabbed and my two knives. I don't want to think about fighting or killing another tribute, but it's inevitable if Dorien or I want to get out of here. I'm disgusted with myself for thinking of human life as simple pawns that need to be disposed of, but it's a Game and my competition feels the same way about me. Dorien and I begin to plan. We can stay at our shelter today, but tomorrow we'll have to try to find water and hunt. I hand him one of my precious knives, and we discuss what to do during a fight with another tribute. Try to stab them in their hand, arm, or thigh if they have the upper-hand, and then get away. It sounds as though I'm only offering Dorien that advice because he's weak, but that's my plan if I come across conflict, too. We avoid talking about death or splitting up, and before we know it, we just begin to talk to pass the time.
For the first time, I notice his district token. It's a dirty, woven bracelet with a painted shell attached. Carved on it are initials, and a scribbled heart. Before I can stop myself, I voice my curiosity. "What do those mean?" He hesitates but then smiles at me. "It's for my sister." There's a deeper meaning to his words, though. I don't want to hurt him by asking, so I only pat his back lightly. But he continues. "My sister died in the Hunger Games a few years ago. My mother and father dedicated their lives to helping her train, and she volunteered. She was beautiful, and she knew how to use a weapon. She made it to the final five, and survived the Career split. She left her camp and supplies for a few minutes to gather more water, and while she was gone a tribute replaced her regular berries with poisonous ones. She didn't know the difference and died," His face shows no emotion, but his green eyes display sadness and anger. "I'm sorry," I whisper, and hug him. "She's in a better place." He said quietly and shrugged. He stared at my bracelet. "What about yours?" His eyes widened when he saw the ring and the small inscription. "I… you.. I'm really sorry. You have it much worse than I do," Dorien's eyes flicker up to the sky and I can tell he's not saying it to me. He's saying it to Finnick. His eyes display a hard kind of sorrow, the kind that says there's something wrong with this world. He doesn't need to say what he's thinking for me to understand. The Hunger Games aren't fair. The Hunger Games tear families apart, erase dreams and memories without a second glance.
Finnick POV
My eyes are glued to the screen, watching Annie's every movement, when someone taps my shoulder. It's a victor, from District 1. "President Snow wants to see you," His eyes are empty and he looks nervous. All the other mentors watch me in shock as I slowly walk out of the room. President Snow is waiting for me, and he leads me into an empty room. A large desk sits in it, as well as a smooth, white leather couch. He motions towards the couch and I sit down. He sits behind the desk and stares at me for a few seconds. He smells overwhelmingly like blood and sickly-sweet roses, and I come close to gagging before he starts to speak. "There are cameras on each district floor, you understand." I stiffen and nod slowly. "You already know about Annie and I," I say defiantly. "The Capitol adores a good love story, but not when it involves our beloved Finnick Odair. Luckily, no one has caught on. If you weren't vital and so popular, I'd kill her now. You may continue to see her if she wins, but if anyone figures you out, I will kill your… fiancée. Remember, Finnick…," He pulls out a copy of the newspaper that announced the death of my family and grins at me, blood lining his lips. I'm praying that this is all and I can leave when he stops me.
"Finnick, you have some customers. Just because you're in… love, doesn't mean Capitol women want you any less!" He smiles grotesquely at me and throws a key my way. "But, Annie..," I say quietly. He simply laughs. "You're lucky so many admire you, Mr. Odair.. I'll make sure the Gamemakers keep her safe until you… are done." I head out of the building and into a large limo, flashes of cameras blinding me. The limo smoothly glides into the parking lot of a beautiful hotel. It's covered in shimmering lights and must be 15 stories. As I walk in, the attendant looks at me expectedly. I show him the key and he gives me a room number. After I leave, he looks at me curiously, wondering what a victor could possibly be doing here.
I bid my time, walking slowly. I curse my looks. They helped me win the Hunger Games, but they also…. Caused this. Mindless prostitution. I try to make myself not care.. I'm doing this because I have to. Annie's life depends on it. Mags' life depends on it. My life depends on it. I reach the room and sigh. I knock on the door, hoping no one will respond, hoping it was a mistake. A mix-up. I hope they wanted some other victor. But I'm not lucky.
A pencil-thin woman, hideous plastic surgery not enough to improve her aging face and body, answers the door. Tattoos in gold and yellow swirl around her body, and she's wearing nothing more than a skimpy dress. I can see every part of her body. I wrinkle my nose and remind myself it'll all be over soon.. The hotel room is fancy, looks extremely expensive, and a large screen is playing the Hunger Games. I glance at it, and see Annie. Longing fills my heart. If only it were her here… Dorien and her are searching for food, skillfully avoiding any plants or berries they're unfamiliar with. The Capitol woman notices my watching and starts to gush. Her voice sounds so incredibly fake and nasally, and it's tinged with the odd Capitol accent. "Those are your tributes, aren't they? They're both such cute kiddies… I personally, think the boy can win… but I, myself, am going for the District 1 girl!" She grins, revealing rotted teeth. I glare at her. "I don't want money. If you sponsor my tributes," I fight the bile rising from my stomach, "I'll give you the.. the.. time of your life." I wince but continue to smile at her.
She swoons and I catch her. "So, what do you say?" I manage to choke out. "Yes, yes, of course!" She squeaks. She begins to kiss me, and I close my eyes, fighting the urge to leave the room and tell Snow I won't do this anymore. But seeing Annie's face, innocent and worried, stretched across the screen, gently stroking her wedding ring, is all it takes for me to kiss back.
I don't even take off my wedding ring as the appalling Capitol woman leads me to her bed.