Don't worry about Annie being in the way of Finniss. She will be… removed... shortly
I watched Katniss pull the archery arm guard on, so it covered her wrist and forearm. No one would suspect a thing.
"I'll call you tonight," She said as I pulled her into a hug. Augustus of District 1 was crowned Victor this year, and no one was surprised.
"Ok," I agreed. "I'll miss you,"
She repeated the phrase in response, and I stepped off her train to await the arrival of my own. I couldn't wait to leave the Capitol. I didn't have many appointments during the off season, and the thought of seeing Annie made me impatient. Mags put a hand on my arm, calming me down a little.
"Patience," She said, "Is a virtue."
I sighed. "I know. I just… I know."
She smiled at me. "You like Annie a lot, don't you?"
I grinned. "Yeah. I think I might even be in love with her,"
"Don't let Snow hear that," she advised. Our train pulled up and I stepped onto it, eager to get home.
…
It took about 24 hours to get home from the Capitol. When the train pulled into District 4, I looked around the deserted train station, wondering where everyone was. My family always met me at the station. I glanced behind me at Mags who got off with me. The District 4 escort, stylists, and prep teams stayed behind at the Capitol, so it was just the two of us again. Then I heard the scream.
"Finnick!" I turned around just in time to see Annie running towards me before I felt the impact of her small body crushing against mine. I held onto her so, so tightly, wishing I could kiss her right then and there, but we couldn't risk being seen, so I pulled away from her. Annie understood why we couldn't be seen in public. I didn't tell her the whole truth, of course, but I told her it was dangerous for both of us. My little brother, Killian, eight years old, the spitting image of me (or so I've been told,) wrapped his skinny little arms around my waist. Grabbing him around the middle, using one hand to support his legs, I picked him up and flipped him upside down.
Killian squealed. "Finnick! Stop! Put me down!" I laughed and let go of him briefly before catching him again. He giggled. I flipped him back up again and set him gently on the floor.
"Where's Mom? And Solomon and Caspian?" I asked.
Annie sighed. "Your mom is at Dell's house. Solomon is walking Whisper and Caspian is… around."
"Around?" I asked, confused.
She waved a hand in the air. "Yeah. Around."
I raised an eyebrow, rather confused. Annie was like that. She was rather cryptic at times. It was just a side effect of being completely insane. She hasn't been the same since her brother was beheaded right in front of her for fishing in an area that was off limits to citizens of District 4. It was so close to District 7, I think, that it made the Capitol nervous. They wanted absolutely no communications between Districts, unless, of course, it involved the Hunger Games.
We walked to Victor's Village. There were twelve houses for the Victors. Nine were occupied. Mags' house was the second on the left, and right across the street was Dell's. I decided to drop off my bags at my house, then go see my mom and Dell. Mags gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before entering her house. My place was the last occupied house, number eleven, on the left side of the street. It was across from the mayor's daughter's house, and we had become well acquainted since I won my games. Her name was Attina, and she was my second cousin. We shared the same great grandfather, who was the first mayor of District 4. I waved to her when I saw her peak out the window. She grinned and waved back. I dropped my bags on my front porch, not worried about anyone stealing them, and ran back down to Number 4, where Dell lived.
A little bit of family history: my great grandparents, Summer and Benedict Fluctus, were the first Mayor family of District 4. They had four daughters. Adella, the second oldest, was reaped in the sixteenth Hunger Games. She was my grandmother, Dell. Dell's daughter, my mother, married a man she didn't like, so Dell ignored my family until my father died in a fishing accident when I was thirteen. Then she took us in. I'm still a little bitter about that. Dell's older sister, Andria, became the next mayor, and Andria's son was the mayor after her. Attina is Andria's granddaughter. So really, the Hunger Games seems to run in the Fluctus family
I knocked on the door, and my mother opened it. I barely had time to say hello before she pulled me into her arms. "Finnick," she cried, squeezing me tightly. I hugged her back. My thirteen year old brother, Solomon appeared behind her, and my mother let go of me to allow Soloman to say hi. Annie was sitting in the dining room, drinking tea with my grandmother.
"Hi, Dell,"I called her by her first name, since I never developed a relationship with her when I was young.
"Finnick, how are you?" she asked sweetly, setting down her tea cup and pouring more tea into it. Annie stood up and grabbed another cup for me. I sat down between the two. I smiled.
"I'm doing all right. No complaints." I said, crunching on one of the sugar cubes in the center of the table.
"That's bad for your teeth, Finnick," Dell scolded. I grinned, but apologized. I caught Soloman's eye over the table, and he rolled his eyes. "Now dear, I've been meaning to talk to you. I saw you in the news three times the past two months, and each time you had a different Capitol woman with you. I think it's time you think about how terrible that is. Capitol citizens are revolting, but you really must think about how awful those girls must feel when you move on so quickly. I mean really…"
"It's not his fault, Dell," Caspian said, entering the house and taking off his shoes. "Finnick's never even had a girlfriend. Do you seriously think he's doing this by choice? Snow obviously forced him into it somehow."
I stood up, delighted by his entrance. Caspian was my best friend. He was fifteen, nine months younger than me, so we grew up with each other. Nonetheless, I felt my face grow hot at his comment. I hugged him and heard him mutter an apology in my ear.
"Where have you been?" I asked him, brushing aside his apology.
"At your place," he told me, grabbing a handful of sugar cubes and passing some along to me. We grinned at each other and each popped one into our mouths, ignoring Dell's mutterings of frustration.
"Boys." Our mother chided. Soloman giggled. "Don't encourage them, Sol,"
"Finnick," Caspian's face was deadly serious now. "You should really go home. There's someone here to see you."
"Who?" Killian asked.
I was scared. I didn't know who would visit me so soon after I returned, but it couldn't be good.
I ruffled Killian's hair and poured a cup of tea into my Grandmother's fine china cup for him. "Don't worry about it, Killer. I'm sure it's nothing. You guys stay here for a while. I'll be back in no time."
Caspian led me outside and down the street.
"Who's here?" I asked him, keeping my voice down.
"I don't know. Two peacekeepers were there when I came in, and there were also a few people in fancy black suits. Your office door was closed, but I could see someone inside. They asked me to get you."
I knew exactly what that meant, and took a deep breath to calm myself. I debated sending Caspian back to Dell's house, but knew I would want him once my guest left. "But I just got back," I muttered.
Caspian smiled sadly. "I know. Kind of rude of them, huh?"
"Yeah. The nerve."
I swung open the door, picking up my bag off the porch.
"Mr. Odair," I looked up and, sure enough, there was a man in an expensive black suit standing in my foyer.
"Yes, but which one?" Caspian challenged, not at all afraid of the men.
Caspian and I were almost identical, and the man looked back and forth between the two of us.
"And maybe you don't even mean one of us," he continued. "There's two more at Adella Fluctus's house."
"And one more who's dead," I said, my voice full of venom. Caspian looked at me, confused. I hardly ever had the strength to speak about Vann. "Do you know why?" I asked the man, who looked rather confused. "Because your boss, President Coriolanus Snow, killed him. He took a sick little boy, and filled his systems with poison. Did you know that? Did you know dear old President Snow is a murderer?"
Caspian and the man both stared at me. "Finnick," Caspian whispered.
"Let's not cause problems, please, Finnick Odair," a second man said once he regained his composure, his voice full of authority. "Please come with me."
I smiled back at Caspian and followed the man into my office, where President Snow sat at my desk.
"Hello, Mr. Odair," he said, looking up. "Have a seat," as if it was his house. I sat.
"Now, Mr. Odair, it has come to my attention that you seem to have a certain… connection to a lovely young woman here in District 4," he smiled at me coldly.
"No sir, I'm afraid that you've been misinformed."
"Mr. Odair," his voice raised slightly, " I think it would be best if we made an agreement not to lie to each other. I believe that would be most efficient for the both of us."
"Yes sir, I think you're right." I swallowed nervously, my mask automatically sliding into place without me having to think about it. Just as I had been trained. "That would be most beneficial."
"So I'm going to ask one more time, Finnick," I didn't like the way he said my name. It was nothing like how Katniss said it, or Caspian, or Annie, or even Dell.
"Yes sir. I do have a romantic connection to one of the girls in District 4, and I don't see how it's a problem. No one knows about it. Not even my family." I told him honestly, hoping he didn't know who my girlfriend was.
"There is one person who knows, isn't there?" He asked, pressing a button and directing my attention to a hologram image of Katniss and me sitting on my bed.
"Who's that?" She asked me teasingly, pointing to a picture on my nightstand of Annie and my dog, Whisper. That was the night of the tribute parade almost two months ago. That was the night I told her about my relationship, convinced there were no bugs in the room. I guess I was wrong.
"You told little Katniss Everdeen. She's almost fourteen, did you know that? She's almost the same age you were when you won the Games."
"Yes sir." I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping, praying he wouldn't hurt her.
"Now, Mr. Odair, I think we both agree that you need to end this little fling you have with Annie Cresta. Your full focus needs to be on your work."
"But I don't work while I'm in District 4," I argued, even though I knew I shouldn't.
"Ah, that leads me to my next point. There have been several more clients signing up to receive your treatments. Now I know I may be asking you to go outside your comfort zone, but I am going to ask you to start receiving male clients. Cecelia Spool of District 8 has retired from the business with my permission, and we need someone to take her clients until Ms. Everdeen is of age. You will have to visit the Capitol more often, of course, so you might as well move into the apartment I offered last time."
"Great," I spat. "I'm retired, too. Screw them yourself, if you want the money, but I'm out. I'm going to marry Annie, and I'm going to stay in District 4. Nothing you say will change my mind." I stood up to leave, then turned back around. "And if you ever touch Katniss, I don't care who you are, I will kill you. She's too innocent."
I left the office and stormed up to my room, Caspian following me. I opened the door and gagged at the strong smell radiating off of a bouquet of white roses on my dresser. I picked them up, slammed open my window and threw them out into the streets, screaming angrily. I watched out the window as Snow walked out the front door surrounded by the two men and a few peacekeepers, and into an armoured car waiting for him, waving at the citizens crowded around him.
I heard Caspian sit on my bed and I sank down next to him, closing the window.
"What was that about?" He asked.
I buried my face in my hands, the full gravity of what I just did hitting me. "I killed them," I whispered. "they're dead,"
"Finnick, who did you kill? What happened?" Caspian's voice raised with concern.
"I don't know, but someone's going to be dead by morning. You, Mom, Sol, Killian… I don't know… Annie, Katniss. Anyone. All of you."
"What did you do?"
"I told him no, I wouldn't take male clients. No I won't go to the Capitol more than I am now, and no, I won't stop dating Annie. Then I threatened to kill him."
Caspian's mouth hung open. "You… you did what?"
"I told him if he touched Katniss I would kill him." I said miserably.
"Finnick, that was not smart." He said.
"Don't tell anyone," I hissed at him.
He put his hands up in defense. "I wasn't planning on it,"
"I need to call him," I said. "I need to fix this. I'll agree to his terms. I was just so, so angry. There's no way he can get to any of you guys that fast. I'll just apologize and break up with Annie in the morning."
"Are you sure?" Caspian laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Well I don't have much of a choice," I said, walking to the phone that was placed in my bedroom so I could talk to Katniss at night. "I can't let anyone else die." I opened the phone book my escort filled out for me. I found a number I knew would help me get to Snow. Livia Cardew, his wife and personal secretary. Patriarch, much?
"Hello, Presidential Mansion, this is Livia Cardew, how may I help you?" A voice chimed over the phone. She was old, about the same age as Snow.
"Hello, this is Finnick Odair," I turned my 'sexy voice' on, as Katniss called it. "I was wondering if you could give me the number of the train President Snow is on currently,"
Livia Cardew laughed. "Oh, the President does not ride on trains. He took a hovercraft. I will make sure he calls you once he returns to the mansion."
She hung up without another word.
Caspian looked at me expectantly. "He's not on a train," I told him, my throat dry. "he's going to give me a call when he returns home."
I flopped down dramatically on the bed, waiting for his call.
…
It was close to an hour later that I received his call. I picked up after the fourth ring, so I didn't seem desperate. "Hello?"
"Mr. Odair. Have you changed your mind?" He asked.
"Yes," I told him firmly. "Just don't touch them," he knows exactly who I was referring to.
"Of course, of course. I've scheduled your first visit in two weeks. There will be a few other Victors there to keep you company, but none will be there for as long as you." He paused, and I didn't speak. I felt bile rising in my throat, and I didn't trust myself to open my mouth without vomiting.
"By the way, do you read your local newspaper?" He asked me.
No. No, no, no. I thought, prepared for what he was about to say. "No," I whispered.
"You really should." He informed me. "There's an article that will be published for tomorrow's edition. I think you will find it most interesting."
I placed the phone back on the receiver and ran to the bathroom where I emptied the contents of my stomach.
"Finnick!" I heard Caspian yell from my bedroom.
"I'm going to the Capitol two weeks from now," I told him, wiping my mouth and wetting my toothbrush. I scrubbed reflex tears away from my face. "And he's going to kill someone."
Caspian stayed with me that night, curled up against my side like he did when we were younger, and he was having a nightmare. Solomon and Killian stayed with my mother and Dell, because I had terrible nightmares that would wake them up. Caspian never minded, though.
At about eleven o'clock, my regular phone call came in. It would be about two for Katniss, so I decided it was nightmares keeping her awake tonight. She should still be on the train.
"Sorry," I told Caspian. "I have to take this."
Caspian shrugged it off.
"Hi, Katniss." I said.
"Hello Finnick," she replied.
"Are you doing alright? Nightmares again?" I asked.
There was a slight pause before she answered. "Yeah. Nightmares. Nothing too terrible, just the normal ones. What about you? How are you doing?"
I sighed. "Not so good, I'm afraid."
"Uh-oh. What's wrong?" She asked, her voice full of concern.
"President Snow paid me a visit today," I said. "He suggested I break up with my girlfriend, start accepting male clients, and visit the Capitol more often."
"No," she whispered. "Finnick he can't just-"
"Yes he can." I cut her off. "And he did. I refused him at first. Then I realized my mistake and accepted his offer, but he already made it very clear that someone was going to die."
"Finnick... " I could hear the tears in her voice. She had been crying for me.
"I'm okay," I lied. "I'll be okay, I promise. As long as he doesn't touch you."
She didn't respond.
"Katniss, promise me that you won't let him make the same deal with you."
"I have to protect my family," she argued. "I can't just say no. You should understand that better than anyone."
"Listen to me, Katniss, I'll make a deal with him for you. I'll take extra clients or something, but I can't watch you go through the same thing I'm going through now." I said urgently, feeling tears prick at my eyes just thinking about Katniss having to do what I do.
"No Finnick, I can't let you do that. The decision is mine to make, and I won't let anyone, including you, get hurt for my actions."
"Katniss, please reconsider. It will change you. I crave comfort and touch all the time, but whenever someone offers it, I cower away because I'm afraid of what those hands will do to me. I constantly keep up a mask, so even my family begins to wonder who I really am. There's some days where I can't eat. Sometimes I'm incredibly irritable. Some days I lie in bed for hours after I wake up, reliving it all over and over again. I can't… I can't see the same thing happen to you."
"No, Finnick. I can make my own choices. And I won't let anything else happen to you."
She hung up the phone before I could respond.
…
In the morning I stepped outside to find a newspaper sitting on my porch. I picked it up with shaking hands, skimming the headlines, hoping that maybe, maybe Snow had decided to spare my family. I stopped at an article on page two.
Suicide in the Strand.
The Strand was the poor part of town, where my father was from. It's also where Annie lived. I stared at the photograph in horror.
There was Annie Cresta, hanging from a rope by her neck, dangling off the roof of her house.