Hi guys, this is my first ever fanfiction so please be nice. It's about Annie and Finnick of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games (my absolute all time favourite). I have changed a few things for the purpose of this book. Thank you for reading, I'd love your opinion. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE NAMES OR IDEAS, THEY ARE ALL PROPERTY OF SUZANNE COLLINS. THE ACTUAL WRITING IS MINE

Chapter One

"Annie," he hisses. The sun hasn't yet risen. I turn and look at him. His eyes beg me to come back. I know he can't follow me, can't be seen with me for fear of our lives. I should go back inside, talk to him that way, but I don't want to. Why should I listen to him complaining over how hard this is for him and us, what we are, is the only way he manages to carry on? I'm tired of it. I don't want to hear it again; he doesn't get how hard this is on me too.

It's always the same. I leave after an argument. He gives me his soppy eyes, I go back inside to hear him out, and then I buy every word of it. But not this time.

I shake my head and turn back to the road. I walk just five steps and then hear a bang of a door. It makes nearly jump out of my skin. Turning around I see that he's slammed it shut. It hurts, like he's just shut me out. Maybe he has.

The rain bounces off the ground around me, splattering my legs with mud. My hair is drenched, my clothes are clinging to me. Not much of clothes either. Shorts the colour of dried up seaweed with fraying legs and an oversized shirt of Finnick's I managed to grab before leaving. I left my shoes there, my cardigan, everything I had on me.

I know I can't go home yet. My grandmother will be waiting, and I don't want to talk, not tonight. There's only one place I can go. The beach.

Ignoring the feeling of stones poking into my bare feet I begin walking in that direction. I keep to the shadows just in case, but since there are no street lamps I don't worry that much. As I pass by Christaain's house, I take the piece of paper out from behind the plant pot and pull a pencil out from under the mat to write my message. 'Meet me on the beach, A x.' It was his idea to have a secret way of communicating. Ever since we were seven we've had it this way. It was easy enough to do. I take a shell out of my pocket and slip it through a little gap in the door frame, so that when he wakes he knows I've left a message. Discreet but very effective.

Now I continue to walk to the breach. The streets are beginning to lighten now, since it's the early morning. The sea air fills my nostrils, calming me a little. The sea gulls begin to wake and join the never-ending song of the sea. I reach the jetty and grin at the scene that greets me. The ocean.

The familiar lapping of the waves against the wooden boats makes me smile. The morning sun glitters on the water reminding me of Finnick's eyes when he's happy. Even the rains stopped.

"Morning Miss Cresta," I hear a familiar voice call. I turn to my left to see Christiaan's Dad standing on his boat, the Radiant Salli. I smile in memory. My mother, that's who it's named after. He was her best friend. After she died he named the boat after her. This morning he's moving today's haul from the boat onto shore, ready to take to the fist market.

I grin at him. "Hi Mr Rif."

"Off to the cove to meet Chris?"

"Yep. How did you guess?" I ask cheekily. I turn to walk to the beach, but he stops me.

"Annie." I turn just in time for him to chuck me his coat. "You must be freezing."

I smile gratefully, tugging it round my shoulders. Then I'm off. That's what I love about Mr Rif. Even when I'm standing in shorts and a shirt, soaked through, still he doesn't pry. It's a good thing too, since I can't tell him anyway.

On the beach I smile as my toes sink into the golden sand. I go to the usual spot: through a cave to a small cove that few people know about. It doesn't take him long to join me. Chris wears his usual shorts and shirt and jacket. Sitting down next to me, he grins. "You look a mess. Wild night?"

I glare at him. He laughs. "Okay okay. I'm sorry."

My scowl softens.

"Why are you up so early?" he asks.

"Had an argument."

"Again?" he asks in exasperation.

I grunt in reply. "Well today really isn't the day to argue with him. He'll be going away for weeks. Is this how you want to see him off?"

I look at him with a frown.

"Oh come on Annie. I was joking," Finnick says.

"And I'm supposed to find that funny?" I ask, turning around to pick up my shirt and pull it on.

"I know, I'm sorry. It was insensitive. Please forgive me," he begs.

"Not this time," I say, grabbing my shorts and storming out the door into the rain.

"Annie..."

Chris frowns at me. "Annie?"

I blink. "Yer?"

"You do remember what today is right?"

My frown is replaced with by devastation. Of course, today is reaping day. I'd gone to Finnick to see him one last time before he disappears back to the Capital for this year's Hunger Games. I'd been so annoyed I had forgotten until now.

I groan, resting my head in my hands. Chris shakes his head. "How can you forget? We've not safe from it yet you know."

I nod in exasperation. How I hate the reaping.

Years ago, after the uprising, the Capital decided to hold an annual event, the Hunger games, where twenty-four children between the ages of twelve and eighteen would have to fight till the death with only one survivor named the Victor. This year will be the seventieth games. Chris and I (Chris being eighteen and me being seventeen) are not yet safe from the reapings, but since we've made it this far I'm sure I'll be okay for the last two years... right?

"How many times have you been entered?" I ask, looking up.

"More than wanted. You?" he sighs.

"Not many. You know, with my grandmother and stuff..." He does know. If we need extra tesserae then we risk getting our names put in more times. We're not poor, in fact, we're quite well off. My grandmother is a previous victor so we'll never be poor, or have the need to sign up for extra tesserae. Chris on the other hand is not so lucky. As much as we try to help them out, Chris does have to sign up for extra tesserae. It makes me feel guilty but I can't change anything, it's the way this world is.

"Hadn't you better go get pretty or something," he asks, pulling on my soaked hair and dragging a smile out of me. I give him a shove and stand up, beginning to walk towards the cave. "Annie." I turn round to face him. "Remember what I said, yeah?"

I hesitate, and then nod. As much as I hate it I know he's right.

As I walk back I see that the streets are empty, deserted even. At my house I pause before knocking on the door. My grandmother opens it. "Morning dear. Couldn't sleep?"

She knows exactly where I was, that I could sleep fine. But she also knows that there are cameras everywhere, so she doesn't push things. I give her a small smile and wrap my arms around her. "Just two more years my sweet, just two more years."

I go to my room and after scrubbing myself clean numerous times I am finally satisfied. On my neatly made bed - which hasn't been slept in for weeks - a dress has been laid out. It's simple, white with a tight corset and a flowing skirt. The fabric is soft, with a pattern you see only when you look closely. Then there are matching white pumps and a white band for my hair. I dress, brushing my hair so that it flows around my shoulders. When it dries it will turn into beautiful brown waves.

I notice something else. On my side table. A small red box. I walk over and open it. Inside is the most beautiful necklace with a dedicate chain and a shell. Inside the shell it has my name engraved in it. I smile slightly and put it on too.

"Stunning." I spin around to see Finnick standing in my bedroom door, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. I scowl, which only makes him laugh.

'Remember about what I said, yeah?' Chris's words echo in my head. I roll my eyes and try to smile.

"I am sorry you know," he begins but I shake my head.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologise. Not anymore," I say quietly.

He sighs with relief. "Thank God. I didn't want to leave you after that," he says.

"It could still be me you know. I'm still seventeen."

"Don't remind me. You're not going in. Not if I can help it."

"But you can't," I begin but he presses his finger to my lips.

"I'm the famous Finnick Odair, right?"

I smile sadly. He is. He won the games four years ago. My grandmother, Mags to him, was his mentor. Once again, this year they'll both be mentoring, so they'll be off to the Capital on one of their many trips. I'll miss them both like crazy, but I doubt it will be any easier for them.

He takes a step closer, stroking my cheek so gently it sends shivers down my spine. "Don't worry about me. We'll be back before you know it."

I nod. The next thing I know he's kissing me. "Good luck," he whispers, and then he's gone.

My grandmother takes his place in the door frame. "The spitting image of your mother," she chokes. Then she frowns. "Looks a little tight on you my dear."

I nod. I had noticed it too, though a few weeks ago when I'd tried it on it fitted fine. She shakes her head, dismissing the subject.

"Who'd you think it will be this year?" I ask. My grandmother has had some freakily accurate guesses.

"It's not going to be an easy year. I'm feeling siblings, or something close to it," she says, frowning in a worried way.

I feel my stomach knot. How horrid. A sibling or a cousin or something. It would be unbearable. It does say something else. It won't be me or Chris. I don't have any siblings, Chris only has a brother and neither of us has cousins.

"Ones a volunteer too," she sighs.

"Why would you volunteer when your sibling is the other tribute?" I ask.

"You don't know the situation. They may be volunteering for a younger sibling that also got reaped. They would be saving an orphan or even a cripple. Maybe even for the sake of protecting their sibling. The latter seems most likely in this case."

There is a silence between us as we both wonder what horrors this year will bring. Finally my grandmother takes a deep breath. "Well, we should go. Wouldn't want to be late now would we?"

I snort, but follow her out the door and head to the main square, where the reaping will be held, and one boy and one girl with meet their fate.