Storm: A Hunger Games Story {Book One of the Storm Trilogy}

Fifteen

District Six went better than the previous days. However, District Five was hard to swallow. I killed the District Five boy. He was the first person I killed. I can never forget that moment. The knife in my hand entering his side. The panic on his face. The terror in his eyes. The blood dripping from his mouth. His blood on my hands.

His family must hate me. They have to. In fact, I want them to. I killed him. I take full responsibility. It was my fault.

Wes tells me that it wasn't really my fault, since it was the games, but I can't see it that way. I took his life away. I didn't even know his name.

When I was introduced to the District Five mentor, I asked him what the boy's name was.

"His name was Ian. He was fifteen." Fifteen years old. A year younger than me. And I killed him. I stabbed him. The stickiness of his hot blood seeping onto my fingers was a sensation I wouldn't soon forget. The life draining from his petrified eyes.

"I'm sorry." I tell him sincerely. He nods, and walks away.

That night at dinner, I was completely zoned out. No one tried to talk to me, they knew I was out of it. In fact, I didn't say a word the rest of the night. I just apologized to the boy from five in my head over and over.

———————

We arrived to District Four in the mid-morning. Ozias gave me today's outfit, Anastasia gave me my speech, and we entered the Justice Building. I stood in the corner of a room, just reading over the speech. This was Lia and Maddox's district. I killed Maddox.

The speech instructed me to describe them as brave and noble warriors. We weren't warriors. We were children.

"Ophelia Wyatt? Hidden gem of District Eight?" I heard a familiar voice inquire. I turned around and saw Finnick Odair standing before me with his signature smirk on his face. He took a step towards me and I stared straight into his sea green eyes. They were unlike any other pair of eyes I had ever seen before.

"Finnick Odair." I replied curtly. In my eyes, Finnick Odair was nothing but a selfish Capitol sellout. He had women falling head over heels for him, and he enjoyed it. I don't understand how you can enjoy anything like that after what he's been through.

"What a pleasure it is to meet you." He then held out his hand for me to shake. I shook hands with him, and then he didn't let go. I ripped my hand away from him and he laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." he said with a smirk.

"I'm just trying to get this over with." I confess, sounding bothered, which I was.

"I'm sorry about Aaron," he told me sincerely, "I know what it's like to lose someone you love." It confused me how he could put on this role of an egocentric, careless boy, but he still seemed kind. He looked much older than he was. I had to remind myself that he's only a year older than me.

"You don't seem to be as full of yourself as you are on television." I tell him.

"We've all got an act. What's yours?" he asked me, taking a pretzel from the table and popping it in his mouth.

"I don't have an act, which is somehow more terrifying." I reply with a small laugh. Finnick chuckled.

"Good luck with that, Ophelia. I'll see you tonight."

"Nice to meet you, Finnick."

———————

I had never seen so much seafood in my life. Sure, the Capitol has it at every meal, but not to this extent. Wes and I walked into the room, hand in hand. Ozias had styled me in a light blue dress for dinner, reminding me of the ocean.