Hi there! So thanks again for reading. This chapter has much more Fannie in it. I'm sorry if you think it's a rushed or sloppy. So please don't forget to help me by reviewing and I hope you like this chapter :)
I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for the chariot to enter. It rolls in slowly. It's still moving, but Finnick's already jumping down and hugging me tightly. A surge of warmth goes through my body and the whole world around me fades away. I stay there, my head on his chest until Mags hobbles to us. I give her a hug as well. Then I look at Finnick closely. What is he wearing? His body is covered with a golden net, making him look very provocative. Finnick sees me eyeing him.
"What do you think?" he says in a seductive voice. I can't help laughing even though I'm trying to look angry. Then Mags says something unintelligible and points behind me. I whisk around, thinking someone's there to take me or Mags or Finnick away. But all I see are tributes.
"Yeah. Their costumes were the best out there."
I still don't know what he's talking about until I see them. Glowing exactly like a burning fire. They're laughing, but the make-up is so thick it makes them look angry and even intimidating. They'll definitely get a lot of sponsors. I turn to Finnick.
"Well, I know there must be a lot of women out there ready to sponsor you," I say a bit coldly. He looks at me like he's in pain. He shakes his head slightly and kisses me on the nose.
"Let's go meet up with some other tributes."
We walk over to the nearest chariot. There's a woman with dark brown hair, wearing a tree costume. She looks angry, disgusted even. But the moment she sees Finnick her frown twists into a grin.
I'm wondering who she is, when Finnick calls out, "Johanna!"
They embrace and start laughing. Then he turns to me.
"Johanna, this is Annie Cresta, the victor of the 67th Hunger Games and one of our mentors this year."
Johanna looks me up and down and gives a wry smile. "Oh, nice to meet you, Annie."
I can't help feeling like she's going to get an axe out of nowhere and just kill us. She seems so vicious. Then I remember when she won her Games. Yup, she's definitely vicious. I'm still wondering why Finnick is so friendly with her when someone taps me on the shoulder. It's the other mentor, Harold Sear. I was right about his name after all. He has dirty brown hair, which is sticking out in every direction. There are bags under his eyes and wrinkles etched on his face. He frowns at me. I haven't heard him say a single word since we met on the train. This makes me even more worried. How is Finnick supposed to get sponsors if I'm out of my wits and he's as talkative as a dead fish? I sigh and turn my attention back to Finnick, who's already making his way to another chariot. I catch up to him and he introduces me to an old man and woman. They both seem very smart, even though the woman is a bit odd.
"Hi, pleasure to meet you, Annie. My name is Beetee and her name is Wiress. We are the District 3 tributes."
I nod and give a small smile. They also seem very nice and friendly, unlike Johanna.
"Hi, you're very…" Wiress starts, then her eyes wander somewhere else.
"Very pretty," Beetee finishes.
"Thank you," I smile again. That must be what I'm like. Dropping out of sentences when a flashback occurs. Everyone must think I'm some sort of crazy girl. Well to be honest, I am.
Finnick's about to move on to another chariot, but I say, "I'm tired. Can we go back up? Mags also seems lost."
He looks at Mags, who's sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. her eyes are darting around the room. He sighs. "Okay, sure."
We go get Mags and Harold and head towards the elevators.
We're zooming up fast but within a few seconds we're already on our floor. I guess that's the disadvantage of being from District 4. Our floor is one of the lowest floors in the Training Center. I've always enjoyed those elevator rides.
We eat our dinner in silence. Our stylists keep trying to start a conversation, but no one's in the mood. The food's actually quite good. Roasted turkey with a creamy sauce and some greens as well. For dessert, there's a delicious cake with blue icing. I finally get up to leave and I see Finnick getting up as well.
Just as I'm about to enter my room, Finnick stops me.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I hesitate a bit. But I never keep my thoughts from him. "It's just that, I'm worried about you. Harold and I are your mentors. The moment I see you injured, I'll go nuts. Harold will just… do nothing. I'm scared for you, Finnick. I don't want to go back to District 4 without you. I don't think I can-" Finnick stops my words when he puts his lips on mine. I feel a surge of warmth going through me again. I close my eyes and try to imagine what it would be like if none of this ever happened. If none of us ever got reaped. We would probably be swimming and playing in the beach all day. I finally pull back and sigh.
"It'll be fine, Annie. I'll make sure one of the mentors will help you out."
I want to tell him that even if someone decides to help me, they'll surely back out when it's down to a few people. But he turns away.
Suddenly I remember what it was like to watch Finnick in the arena from back home. The feeling of helplessness. How I couldn't do anything to help him even though I desperately wanted to. I watched him starve, dehydrate and get beaten up.
I'm sitting with my knees close to my chest, watching the TV screen closely in our combined kitchen and dining room. Finnick's running fast through a clutter of trees, looking back occasionally. Suddenly someone appears out of thin air and Finnick falls to the ground. The other tribute is beating him up. I close my eyes and put my hands to my ears to block it all out and scream.
When I open my eyes, Finnick's hugging me. I'm sitting on the floor, still outside my door. He's rocking me gently. I take my hands off my ears slowly. He notices the change of movement and looks at me tentatively.
"What happened just now?"
"I saw… I remember…" I just can't say it out loud. I burst into silent tears and he's stroking my hair gently.
"It's okay, I'm right here. Whatever you thought about is dead and gone and past, so it's all going to be-"
"No, Finnick." I look right into his eyes. "No, I thought about how I was completely useless while you were in the arena last time. It's probably going to be the same again, only this time, I'll be responsible!" My voice rises into a shout. Finnick's eyes are getting shinier and his face has sorrow written all over. I put my head on Finnick's chest as he cradles me like a baby. I let all my anger and worry out. Finnick starts stroking my hair again. I want to stay in his arms forever, but I know it isn't possible when he finally gets up and tells me to go to sleep. I reluctantly go in.
I throw myself on the bed without even changing because everything's just been so crazy and tiring. I soon fall into another world of nightmares.
