Shattered (A Hunger Games Fan-fiction) (Wattys2015) (#feels)

Chapter 13

We walk on in silence, but I can't get the Justice Building out of my head. It looked formidable rising out of the ground and seemed to be looking down on everything else as we walked by a minute ago. The sky is darkened with a few stars sprinkled across it and a light breeze has begun.

The Head Peacekeeper lives just behind the Justice Building so we don't really have that far to go; just one more turn and we will be there. Annie squeezes my hand reassuringly and I smile at her, trying to tell her that I'm okay.

But of course I'm not alright. I'n scared out of my wits right now, and she sees it too. But we don't say anything about it, choosing to walk in silence instead.

Once we turn onto the street that has Maxwell Tremors's house, Annie swears under her breath. "Selfish Thugs," she mutters and I nod. We have had this conversation before too.

The Capitol is selfish. They let their own people live luxurious lives and don't care at all about how we live. The Peacekeepers get to live in these big, comfortable houses and eat three meals a day, and what do we get? Nothing. Just cold bread, and houses that are barely standing.

"Finn?" Annie asks just when we are standing outside Maxwell's house. I turn to look at her and see that she is bitting her lower lip nervously and has a frown plastered on her face.

"Yeah?" I say.

"I just want to say that....this might sound weird but..." She trails off and I rest a hand on her shoulder.

"I know all about your weirdness and I love every bit of it, Cresta," I tell her and she smiles sadly.

"Yeah, well, I think this opportunity....you know, you winning the Games and keeping us safe... I think it has strings attached to it."

I stand there for a moment, letting her words sink in. She could be right. There might be more to this than what we think. But right now, I can only think of one thing: keeping the people I care about safe.

I pat her shoulder gently, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "It'll be okay, Annie. I promise." She nods her head slowly, and I can tell that she is trying to believe it.

The door is opened then, and Meg is framed in the doorway, her hair piled on top of her head and a smile pasted on her face.

"Hello, Finnick," she greets in a voice that is dripping with sweetness. "Who is your friend over here?"

"Annie Cresta," says Annie bravely, sticking her hand out. Meg completely ignores it and carries on talking.

"So nice to see you back here." She pats my arm. "It's good to know that you took up the offer." Her pearly white teeth are on full show and they manage to glint in the dim light. "Just come through here, won't you?"

She leads us in the same way as she did yesterday; through the foyer and into the fancy living room, where we are told towait, and that we will be called shortly. Annie gazes incredulously at the crystal chandelier and fancy furniture, clearly cursing the Capitol in her mind. We wait for five minutes and then Meg comes strolling into the living room.

"Mr Tremors's will see you now," she says in a smooth, silky voice. We follow her down the corridor and she knocks at the last door at the end.

"Come in," a deep, throaty voice drawls, and Meg pushes the door open, motioning for us to go forward. We do move inside, and my gaze immediately falls on the person behind the desk. He looks just as he did yesterday; cold, cruel and inconsiderate.

"Finnick," he grins maliciously. "Do sit down." We sit in the chairs opposite him and he continues. "And who is your lovely friend?"

"Annie Cresta," I tell him. "I assume you know who she is, given the offer you made? She is one of the people who will be kept safe." Maxwell's lips curl upward into a smirk and his eyes dance with amusement.

"Of course. Of course, I remember," he replies coldly. "Should I assume your answer is yes, then?"

I look at Annie and she looks at me. This is my last chance. There is no turning back now. If I do this right, she will be safe along-with her mother and Rosie. "Yes," I tell the white uniformed man in front of me. "My answer is yes. I will play in the Games."

Maxwell's face breaks out into a huge unwavering smile as he folds his arms on top of his desk, leaning his head on his hand. "Good," he says grinning. "That's excellent news."

We sit there for a while, just looking at each other, until Maxwell breaks the silence. He clears his throat and sneers. "Alright then, Finnick. If your name is not taken at the Reaping, you know you have to volunteer right?"

"Yes, I know," I reply.

"And your mentor will be Mags. Do you know who she is?"

I shake my head and he grins. "Oh, you'll love her. She is all about helping people out. She is around sixty,, I believe?" He looks at Meg who is still standing beside the door. She nods and he continued. "Yes, she's sixty and she won her Games. You'll be fine with her."

"Okay," I nod. "Where will she be tomorrow?"

"At the net-making place a few miles away from your school," Maxwell tells me. He looks at Annie and says. "You will continue living with your mother until The Games are over. If Finnick wins, you two will move in with him in the Victor's Village." She nods stiffly.

"Okay, and then he won't be called at any more Reaping Ceremonies, will he? Once he is a victor?"

Maxwell's eyes narrow for just a second before he answers. "Of course not. The victors are never reaped again after their Games. They're left alone."

Annie starts to smile faintly, and it's the first real smile I have seen on her in ages. "That's good," she says.

Maxwell looks at me then and says. "Well, I'm happy that you made the right choice, Fiinick. You may leave now."

We get up and make our way across the room and out the door where Meg stands waiting for us. She has heard everything, no doubt. When we reach her, she smiles sweetly at me and bats her eyelashes, which is pretty unnerving.

"I'll be seeing you, then, Fiinick. Her voice is sickly sweet. "The fun is just getting started. You'll see. You'll love every minute of everything once you've won the Games."

I stand there in confusion for a moment until Annie tugs on my hand and leads me out the front door, leaving a smiling Meg standing in the doorway.

"I don't get what her deal is," she says thoughtfully once we are on the street.

"Yeah, neither do I," I agree with her.

"She seemed pretty sure of herself though,"she says. "What could be so fun after the Games?"

"Maybe the good food?" I shrug.

"Somehow I don't think that's all this is about," Annie chuckles uneasily, and I sort of believe her. Maybe Meg meant something else. Maybe that is the part of the deal that I should have been careful about.

It's too late now.

We walk back through the silent streets and soon reach Annie's house. The porch light is on and there is a faint light in the kitchen too. Annie turns around once she has reached the front door.

"You will come to school tomorrow, right?" she asks hopefully.

"Yeah," I tell her.

"Okay."

She tries to smile a little and I say, "Okay, I'll come by your house at seven then?"

"Can't wait." She grins before closing the door.

********************************************

A/N

Don't forget to vote and comment guys :) They mean a lot!