Victor's Crown: A Hunger Games Story

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 [𝟭]

The reaping for the Sixty-fifth Hunger Games arrives almost quickly compared to years prior. The Odair trawler docks the morning before Reaping Day to allow its workers a day of relaxation before subjecting them to several weeks of psychologic torture. Finnick and his father disembark with the air of those headed to a funeral.

Reaping Eve is almost a holiday itself, considering how some of the districts spend it. One district isn't supposed to be privy to the customs and behaviors of another, but gossip swells to its peak around Game season. Especially sensational are the rumors about District 1, where the tribute is always chosen beforehand and volunteering at the reaping itself is just a dramatic show. According to some sources, on the night before Reaping Day, the mayor of District 1 throws the soon-to-be tributes a party surpassed only by the Capitol in extravagance and splendor. The guest list consists mainly of past victors, senior mentors, and potential donors—anyone who might help District 1 seize another victory. Tales of the debauchery and depravity flaunted at these celebrations are shocking, even compared to Capitol standards—which means they receive all the more attention from District 4 academy students. Many District 1 households follow suit, if only to celebrate the fact that their children are safe from the Games for another year.

District 4 is not quite so ostentatious. Settled back in their house on the seaside, Finnick's mother grills salmon and kelp for supper, as she always does on Reaping Eve. After they eat, Finnick's father sits on the porch facing the ocean and nurses a bottle of hard liquor. He only began drinking once Finnick turned twelve, and as soon as the Games are over the drink vanishes, sequestered away until next year. Lochlan's gaze is far away as he taps a staccato rhythm against the bottle's glass body.

Sprawled on the porch next to his mother's chair, her fingers carding through his hair, Finnick wishes more than anything to be on the beach, weapon in hand, warding off his fear and anxiety with a whirl of his trident. But he doubts District 4's Peacekeepers will allow a child out so late on the night before the reaping, and besides, his parents need him. And if he's being honest with himself, he kind of needs them, too. They end up retiring early, before the sun goes down, though Finnick is sure none of them will get any sleep.

The next day, Finnick rises early even though the reaping isn't scheduled until five o'clock in the afternoon. When the time comes, he bathes and dresses in his finest (and only) suit—a relic from when his father was around Finnick's age. He combs his hair and indulges himself with a critical look in the mirror at his bedside. His thick hair, still damp, falls in waves around his face, framing a pair of piercing green eyes inherited from his father. The suit's rich black material compliments his tan skin, bronze and glowing after years of toiling under the sun. The flush of adolescence has just begun to reshape his body, lengthening his limbs and layering new muscle over his bones, deepening his voice and adding several inches to his height.

When he emerges from his room, groomed and polished, his mother kisses his brow and holds him close for a long time. Finnick is already taller than her by a good margin and is well on his way to surpassing his father's height as well, but he has never felt so small. No words are spoken; no words can express what Reaping Day stirs up inside them. Finnick's father stands to the side, and when his mother finally releases him, he pulls Finnick into a shorter but no less meaningful embrace. Lochlan Odair wears his captain's uniform, as he does every year, and this more than anything else makes Finnick feel dreadfully important, like a soldier being sent off to fight on the front line of a crucial battle.

"I'll be home for supper," Finnick says. Whether it be tonight or in a fortnight, whether it be by the faculty of his own two legs or enclosed in a casket. He would come home to his district.

"Of course you will, son," Finnick's father replies. His mother hides her face from them to wipe away her tears.

They walk together to District 4's Justice Square, Finnick in front, his parents flanking him like guards. Situated on the west coast of Panem, District 4 is scheduled to air its reaping last, so the Capitol can watch each reaping live. Even at five o'clock in the afternoon the day is blazing hot, but Finnick and the other mariners barely break a sweat. They are used to toiling under the sun for hours with nothing to protect them but their bare skin. Some of the wealthier shopkeepers are not so fortunate, and they show up already weary and damp with perspiration.