Thank you again to itsmagical1327 for your support and ideas in the making of this chapter. Also thank you for the review from LoveForEverlark.
Bridget:
As I walk into the Victors Lounge everyone is standing together and obviously haven't noticed the Games are about to start.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 71st annual Hunger Games... Begin!" Claudius Templesmith states.
Everyone then goes and sits down. I sit between Finnick and Haymitch. I get a good look at what environment the tributes have been thrown into. It's not too bad. The Cornucopia is in a clearing in the middle of a corn field and behind it are some snow capped mountains and in front are some woods. If Summer is smart she will head into the wood and find water. I notice that Summer has her eye on a blue backpack fairly close to her but I also see a kid who looks like a career, district 1 I think, staring at her.
Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Gong Sounds.
Summer runs for the bag and snatches it up at the same time the career kid gets to some knives. He quickly aims one in the direction of her head and I can't look so I turn to bury my face in whoever's arm is to the right of me and it turns out to be Finnick. He doesn't seem to mind. I decide Haymitch would have made a noise if Summer had been struck with the knife so I look up and see her running into the woods but sweeping her hand along the ground picking up the knife that the career miss threw.
"What's wrong Bridget?" Finnick asks me.
"What?"
"Your crying."
"Oh." I wipe the tears that have fallen before I answer. "She scared the crap out of me." Finnick just laughs.
We turn our attention back to the blood bath. The district 1 female got hold of a bow and arrows and has killed the District 7 girl and the District 9 boy. The district 4 girl got hold of a spear and threw it at the District 3 boy but it missed and hit her District partner instead. She carried on like nothing happened. That heartless bitch. I don't see how these people can just murder each other so quickly.
I notice that the District 3 tributes are both killed. I'm not sure how or who but there isn't a weapon stuck in them. District 5 male killed the District 6 male in a scramble for a weapon. It seems that most people have run off either to the mountains or into the woods. The last killed in the bloodbath are the District 11 girl and the District 10 boy. They stabbed each other when they came face to face so they both bled out. That's eight down in the initial bloodbath. Thank gosh both Harman and Summer are still alive. But then again all of the careers except for the District four male are still alive too. She better run and not stop for a while.
The careers have decided to make the district 4 girl, Renée, stay and watch the supplies while the others go out and look for 'easy kills'. Summer is not to far away from them. RUN! I'm screaming in my head for her to run but I know it's no use. The District 8 girl is getting into a tree just as she hears the career pack coming towards her. Unfortunately she isn't quiet enough so the District 1 boy, Augustus, beheads her with his sword. My stomach turns and I run to the nearest trash can. Haymitch gets up and holds my hair while I throw up the contents of my stomach which thankfully, isn't much.
Once I'm done I sit back down and close my eyes. That could have been Summer. That could have been one of my best friends.
"Gum?" Chaff asks me.
"Please." I say barely audible with a small smile.
"You know you don't have to stay here right?" Finnick asks.
"I have to stay. For Summer." I tell him. He looks at me sadly and puts an arm around me to comfort me.
I lean on Finnick's shoulder and he smells nice. Like salty air. I close my eyes for a minute because Summer is far enough away from the careers and is safe up in a tree. I end up falling asleep.
Finnick:
I feel so sorry for Bridget. She's still a kid and doesn't deserve the worry that's being inflicted on her. Then again at her age I was the victor of the 65th Hunger Games. Poor girl doesn't deserve Snow threatening her. After last night I feel like I really know her. I feel the need to protect her innocence.
I watch as she sleeps. The only time I've ever seen her completely at peace is when she's asleep. Bridget wakes up again suddenly but I just tell her to go back to sleep so she puts her head in my lap and does as I told her. I start to play with her hair absentmindedly.
"Watch yourself Finnick. That's my daughter." Haymitch jokes. I think.
"Shut up. She's 14."
"That's even worse!" Okay he is definitely joking... I hope.
"Just shut up." I say and turn my attention back to the screen.
It doesn't hold my attention for long though because I start to watch Bridget sleep again. I wish I could still be that innocent.
Preston walks in and hesitates for a second when he sees Bridget but then he notices she's sleeping... With her head on my lap. He looks a little pissed. I really hope he isn't the jealous type.
Bridget is sleeping on her back but turns onto her side. She has a concentrated look on her face. She scrunches up into a ball. I think she is having a nightmare. I hear her whisper 'no!' and I can't decide if I should wake her up. She starts to shake as though she is scared.
"Bridget?" I say.
"No!" She screams and wakes up suddenly.
"Bridget! It's okay. It was just a dream!" I tell her. She's still shaking.
She buries her face in my lap. "No. I watched a career behead Summer." She starts to cry.
"It's okay."
"No. I'm sorry I'm going to go so I don't piss you guys off more than I probably already have."
"Sweetie, you haven't pissed anyone off." Seeder tells her like a mother would.
"You guys have more important things to do and don't need my nightmares to distract you." Bridget tells us.
"Your fine. Just stay." I tell her, stroking her hair.
"Okay... But if I go to sleep wake me up." She tells me as she starts to put her head in my lap until she notices Preston. She hesitates for a moment but lays down anyway.
Preston walks out of the room in a huff about 10 minutes later.
"What was that about?" I ask Chaff.
"He's the jealous type." Chaff smirks.
"And you didn't fucking tell me!" I probably wouldn't cuss if Bridget was awake but as she is sleeping I don't care.
"No."
"Thank you for making your son hate me."
"Anytime Finn."
Not much else happens in the Games so I end up falling asleep along with Bridget. I'm asleep for awhile. Enough to account for what I missed last night until one of the Capitol servants comes to give me a note for another 'meeting'. Sadly I have to leave but Bridget is in a deep sleep so it doesn't wake her when I move.
(That evening)
Bridget:
I'm walking out of the victors lounge and get into the elevator. Preston is in it so I decide its time to apologize.
"Hey can I talk to you?" I ask.
"Sure whatever." He seems annoyed.
We get up to the twelfth floor and sit in the living room.
"I wanted to talk out what happened last night." I tell him.
"Okay..." He says wanting me to go first.
"First of all I wanted to apologize for over reacting like I did."
"I'm sorry for making the comments I did. I didn't know about what Snow had said."
"I'm sorry for not taking into account that you didn't know about it."
"It's okay." He still seems annoyed.
"What's wrong?" I ask. Was there something else?
"Oh I don't know... Maybe your flirting with Finnick?!"
"What?! I wasn't flirting!" How could he think I was flirting?
"Oh the sleeping with your head on his lap?"
"That's absurd! I was tired and fell asleep!"
"Oh really?" He says it like he doesn't believe me.
"Do you not trust me?"
"What if I don't?"
"Then... Then... Maybe we shouldn't be together."
"Fine."
"You might as well go now." I tell him and he gets up and walks away without another word.
"UGH!" I throw a pillow that is next to me at the elevator doors. "ASSHOLE!" I scream.
"Go talk to Finnick."
"What?!" I turn around and Haymitch has just come out of the elevator.
"Go talk to Finnick."
"Is he back?"
"Yup. Just got back. He's in the victors lounge."
"Great." I breathe.
I go down anyway. I of course cry on the way there so as soon as the doors open, just my luck, Preston is there talking to Chaff. I walk straight past them with my head held high.
"Finnick do you have a second maybe?" He sees I've been crying and gets up and follows me. We get in the elevator and he turns to me.
"What happened?" He seems like a protective older brother.
"Preston." I say barely above a whisper.
"Can I kill him yet?"
"Yes."
"What the hell did he do?" We get to the twelfth floor and I walk down the hall to my room, open my door and go and sit on the floor with my back leaning on the side of the bed. Finnick sits next to me.
"I told him I wanted to sort out what happened last night and we did and he still seemed annoyed so I asked him about it and he accused me of flirting with you!" I start to cry.
"He's an ass."
"Why?! Why though?!"
"Some guys are like that."
"You know I asked him if he trusted me... He asked me what would happen if he didn't." I can't stop crying. "My God I'm a freaking mess!"
Preston:
"Where's Peyton?" I ask my father as Bridget comes into the victors lounge. It's obvious she's been crying.
"In her room." Dad tells me with a confused look as Bridget walks by us.
"Thanks." I tell him and walk out.
I get in the elevator and get out at my floor and walk straight to Peyton's room. She's a girl. She should understand right? I knock on her door and she opens it.
"What do you want?" She asks.
"Help."
"With what?"
"Bridget."
"What the fuck did you do?"
"Can I come in?" She lets me in and we sit down and talk.
"So what did you do?"
"We had a fight last night and it kinda went down something like I didn't want her to talk about her going into the Hunger Games and she said that I wasn't the one that had to think about it 24/7 and I asked why she was shouting and she said because she knew that she was coming back to the Capitol as a tribute next year so I said something like don't you think I'm afraid of being reaped and she said that I wasn't that high on Snow's hit list but she was, so I replied oh poor little Bridget not knowing that the President had made a threat to her."
"You complete dumbass."
"Wait! Earlier she was flirting with Finnick so badly I mean she was sleeping with her head in his lap. So when she saw me in the elevator she wanted to talk through our argument so we did and I guess I looked pissed so she asked me what was wrong and I confronted her about the flirting and she said I was being absurd so she asked if I trusted her and I asked what would happen if I didn't and..."
Peyton cuts me off. "You asshole!"
"Let me finish before you make accusations. So she said that if I didn't trust her we shouldn't be together and so I said fine and she made me leave!" I don't understand why she made me leave.
"You idiot. She made you leave because you said fine which, one means you don't trust her and two means you were saying you should brake up. You're single you idiot."
"Shit. She has got to hate me."
"Trust me she is not getting back together with you."
Bridget:
"I just don't understand how he could say he didn't trust me!" I sob.
"Maybe he misunderstood?" Finnick tries to help.
"If he did he's an idiot!"
"Some people just don't think."
"Even if it was a misunderstanding he still accused me of flirting! I'm not a slut! He obviously had some doubt about his trust in me even if it was subconscious."
"Some guys are just the jealous type."
"And I can't stand the jealous type because you are practically saying you don't trust the person."
"I don't think it's so much the person as to who they are with."
"Preston accused ME of flirting... Not you."
"I have no idea what goes on in that kid's head and I don't think I want to."
"He was the first guy to actually take an interest in me..." I mumble.
"What do you mean?"
"Like... He was my first boyfriend... He was my first kiss... He was the first guy to look at me in a way that wasn't just as friends... It was a good feeling to have and now... nothing." I tell him, on the verge of tears.
"Bridget, look at me. You don't need a guy to make you feel like you mean something. You are beautiful and strong and caring and you sure as hell don't need a jealous boyfriend to convince yourself that it's true." Finnick looks me in the eyes as he says this and I can see that he truly and honestly believes what he is saying.
"I guess you're right..." I look away before I start crying again.
"I know I'm right. But why don't we go somewhere?"
I look at the clock and its already 7 at night. "What are we going to do at this time. Won't everything be closing?"
"Have you ever been to a club?" He asks with a half smile. He looks so cute. No stop it Bridget!
"Nope." I tell him.
"Oh this should be fun then." He walks over to my closet. "You need something to wear though..." He flips through some of my clothes and comes along a short, tight, blue strap dress that I bought on a whim. Finnick takes it out and puts it on the bed along with a pair of black strapped 4 inch heels.
"I'm going to die." I say simply.
"If your talking about the heels then I'll help you keep your balance." He tells me with a wink.
"Yup I'm going to die."
We hear a knock on the door and Haymitch walks in. He looks surprised to see Finnick in my room sorting out an outfit.
"What's going on here?" He asks.
"I'm going to take her to a club. Do you mind?" Finnick asks.
"As long as you don't let her get drunk or leave her alone." Haymitch gave in easier than I thought.
"Thanks."
"Anyway, here." Haymitch tells me handing me a present. "Happy birthday." He tells me with a smile.
"I totally forgot." I laugh and open the present. It's a neckless that has a ring on it. It's simple and has one small square cut diamond on a silver band. When I get a closer look at the ring I notice it has an engraving on the inside of the band. It says 'To my darling Lily'. It must be her wedding ring. "Haymitch... This is beautiful but... Are you sure?"
"I'm sure she'd want you to have it... It also needs to be outside instead of stuck in a box for 15 years." He tells me.
"Thank you so much."
"Don't worry about. Get ready and go have fun with Finnick."
"Your the best." I tell him and kiss his unshaven cheek before he leaves. Finnick goes to change as well.
I squeeze into the sapphire blue dress that hugs every feature. I'm not that gifted with having a large chest size or having a nicely shaped butt but this dress enhances everything. The heels make my 5'4" self, look 5'8". After washing my face I put on some powder, blush, eyeliner and lipgloss. My make up is natural looking so I don't look to old. I don't know where to put my money because I don't want to have a purse so I put it down my bra. I decide that because I straightened my hair this morning I only needed to touch it up. Once I'm done I walk out and pop my head in Haymitch's door and tell him good night and then step in the elevator which stops on floor 4 to let Finnick in.
"Oh crap. I just realized... What about the press?" I look at Finnick with terror in my eyes.
"Oh f...udge! I forgot! Sorry! I mean we could go back if you like?"
"No it's okay." I tell him swallowing my fear.
"Okay."
"You want something to drink?" Finnick shouts over the extremely loud music.
"Uh... I'll have a coke please." I shout back as Finnick turns to order our drinks.
Once Finnick and I get our drinks and we finish them, we go to dance. More like he dances and I laugh and tell him I can't dance. Finnick is such a gentleman and tries to get me to dance but gives in when I say I'll fall flat on my face.
"Happy Birthday Bridge!" He tells me with a smile.
"Thanks! I think this has got to be the most fun I've ever had on my birthday!" I tell him.
"What would make it even more fun is if you danced!" He tells me with a laugh.
I give in and sort of just sway to the music until Finnick puts his hands on my waist so I rest my hands on his shoulders. We just kinda sway and head bob with the beat until Finnick has to go to the bathroom. I go sit at the bar drinking a new coke while I wait until I feel someone grab my waist. It isn't at all how Finnick would because its to aggressive. This grab is from someone I don't know.
I, of course, immediately turn around to see who it is. It's some guy in his late twenties with cropped black hair and a beard. He's obviously drunk and wants something more to do with me than just dancing. The guy then moved his hands from my waist and slides them down to my ass. I reach up and slap this guy (who looks about 5'11") as hard as I could. His head swings to the side and his eyes widen in disbelief that someone dared to slap him.
The guy grabs my wrist so tightly I almost cried and pulled me close to him. He smells so strongly of whiskey and vodka and beer that it is sickening. He whispers in my ear in a deep rough voice.
"Come with me and you'll have a lot of fun." He slurs.
"There is no way I'm going anywhere with a stranger, much less one who is drunk out of his right mind!" I snap at him.
"If you do as I say you won't get hurt." He warns as he pulls out a knife and presses it into my side.
All I do is gasp and the guy pulls me by my wrist through the club, out the back door and pushes me up against the brick wall. This stranger leans into my face and tries to kiss me until I force my knee up hitting him right in the groin. He backs up with an angry expression on his face so I take the advantage of having space and kick him as hard as I can again in the groin with my heels and he makes a sound of pain and bends forward so I knee him in the face, hopefully braking his nose, as someone comes running out the back door. I look over and it's Finnick but my attacker doesn't seem to notice he is there because he comes towards me again and this time Finnick is the one to punch him. The stranger looks up and sees who had punched him and looks frightened when he notices it happens to be a Victor of the Hunger Games.
I can see two figures at the end of the alley way we are in and Finnick whistles and they come down. It's two peacekeepers, thank God. They take my attacker away after Finnick and I explain what he did.
"Jesus, Bridget." Finnick breathes as he hugs me.
"We cannot tell Haymitch. He will never allow me out ever again." I tell Finnick sternly.
"We have to. We can't just keep this from him! I mean you were nearly ra..."
"Don't! Don't say that." I cut him off. "But I wasn't, so please. I'm begging you! Do not tell Haymitch!"
He thinks on it for a little while. "Fine. But only because you need to learn to make the right decisions on your own." Finnick tells me.
"Thank you. Now let's just go back and enjoy the rest of the night." I tell him calmly.
"Okay." Finnick takes my hand gently and leads me back into the club.
Finnick actually ends up getting me to dance. And I don't just mean sway and head bob. I feel like an idiot but Finnick assures me I don't look like one. He's so sweet and doesn't let me out of his sight for the rest of the night. I'm really hoping that no one paid any attention to Finn and I being there or the little incident otherwise I'm screwed. I guess I'll find out tomorrow because if anyone did, it will be plastered on the front page of every newspaper and magazine in the Capitol for sure.
Finnick:
Today is going to be a good day. As I walk into the victors lounge I'm in a good mood. Even the other careers can't ruin my mood today... Or so I thought. I notice Brutus is staring at me and laughing along with Gloss and that's when I notice the magazine in their hands. Oh crap.
I walk over to the stand that holds the magazines and newspapers in the far corner of the room and of course every single paper has Bridget and I dancing on it. Some have a picture of us properly dancing after the attack and some have pictures of when we were swaying with my hands on her waist and her hands on my shoulders. I flip through the different types of magazines to make sure no one saw her being dragged out, me running out after I saw the scum bag drag her out, or us walking back in. They didn't. It's a miracle.
I have to warn Bridget. I rush straight to her room and knock on her door. I hear her shout something like 'give me one sec' and about thirty seconds later she opens the door.
"Hey Finn. What's up?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah sure... What's this about?" She says as she steps out of the way of the door to let me in. When I get in, I put two of the magazines on the table. One of each picture. It seems whoever took the picture wasn't expecting to see us and got lucky so there are only 2 pictures.
"Oh shit!" She almost shouts.
"Watch your language!" Haymitch says as he comes through the open door.
"Why don't you stop drinking then?!" She snaps back.
"Hey! What was that for?!" He asks her.
"Look! Some people just can't respect anyone's privacy!" She says holding up one of the magazines. "The youngest victor Finnick Odair and District 12's victor kid Bridget Abernathy were at Up All Night, night club last night. An employee at the night club over heard Mr Odair, 20, wishing a happy birthday to Miss Abernathy, now 15. Could they be a couple?" Bridget reads, from the magazine with the picture of us swaying on the front, with anger in her tone.
"What the hell are your hands doing on her waist?!" Haymitch accuses me when he sees the cover picture.
"I was trying to get her to loosen up and dance more but at first that's the most dancing she did." I explain.
"That better be all it was." Haymitch glares daggers at me.
"Chill out Haymitch! I have more to worry about than your protective shit." Bridget says in a fluster.
"I'm dead serious about this cussing Bridget. Stop it." Haymitch stands his ground as a parent.
Bridget gets a devious half smile. "How about we cut a deal. How about an ultimatum. If you get sober and stay sober then I will not cuss."
"No. I'm the parent. What I say goes." Haymitch puts his foot down.
"Yeah well something, or someone, else will be going if you don't try to be sober." She stares into his eyes letting him know that it's not a threat but a promise.
"Fine. But you have to stop cussing."
"Fine."
"Bridget?" I ask.
"Oh, yeah." She says remembering the crisis at hand. "I guess we just have to ignore it as best as we can."
"Guess so."
Bridget:
I'm panicking. I'm teetering on the edge of hyperventilation. What happens if Preston sees? What will Chaff and Seeder think? What will Peyton think? I take silent deep breaths but I think Finn sees through me.
After I have somewhat calm down, Finnick and I head down to the victors lounge to watch the games. I hope Summer made it through the night. I don't know what I'd do if she died. At the minute I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm not grieving or depressed or frightened or even sad. I guess the only way to describe how I feel is numb. Yeah... Just numb.
As we walk in all of the careers stare at us. I was expecting that. What I wasn't expecting was Mags, from Finnick's district, to come up and introduce herself.
"Hello dear. I'm Mags from District 4." She smiled sweetly at me.
"Hi. I'm Bridget." I tell her timidly.
"I know. So you and Finn?" She asks jokingly with a wink.
I actually laugh. "No. It was my birthday and I was upset so he took me to the nightclub to cheer me up."
"Okay. Don't be hitting on her Finnick, or Haymitch might brake that pretty face of yours." She jokes and I laugh.
"The games are starting." Finnick mumbles and we go sit down.
It turns out that Summer did make it through the night. Although District 6's girl didn't. The District 2 female, Anwyn, stabbed her in the heart. It turns out that Renée of District 4 decided she didn't want to be the careers guard dog so when they all fell asleep last night, she left.
The careers are now not the only ones that have formed an alliance. The District 5 kids teamed up with the District 10 girl and District 7 boy. They seem to be wandering for the time being and they are far away from Summer although Harman isn't too far.
I have to do a double take when I see where Harman is. He happens to be in a fight with the District 8 male in a valley between the two mountains. I didn't notice before but Harman somehow got a knife and the 8 male has the same. First District 8 goes in to jab Harman who dodges it and slices 8's arm which leaves a gash. Harman's opponent gets mad and charges at him stabbing him in the leg. I have to give it to Harman because even though he has a deep stab wound in his leg he still manages to get a few slashes in before he loses too much blood and collapses. District 8 doesn't just leave him to bleed to death slowly and painfully, he at least has the decency to slit Harman's throat. Cannon sounds.
I'm sitting next to Finnick and Haymitch and because Haymitch knows that Harman was from home, I seek comfort from him. I look over to him and he gives me a small smile and opens his arms to give me a hug. When we hug I feel like I'm closer to him because he understood exactly what I needed. Comfort from my father.
"I don't mean to ruin your father-daughter moment but look." Finnick says nodding to the screen.
It's Summer and Renée. They happened to run into each other as Summer was climbing down from her tree. Neither look prepared to kill the other.
"If you do kill me do it quick, okay? I have a little sister and I don't want her to have to watch me die slowly." Summer tells Renée.
"I... I can't." She replies in a whisper. "I can't kill you." She drops her bow and arrows that she had prepared to shoot.
"What?" Summer asks. "But you're with the careers?"
"They kept me for a guard dog and I'd be the first one they'd kill so I left."
"Oh." Summer thinks about something before lowering her knife. "Seeing as neither of us are prepared to kill the other... Allies?" Summer offers.
"I don't know..." Renée ponders the offer a while before eventually giving in after Summer says she doesn't bite. "Allies." The two girls shake hands.