Hope

CHAPTER TWO

Finnick stood beside his male victor counterparts as he awaited another Reaping.

He rarely came back to District 4 since he won the 65th Hunger Games; after his victory tour he was old enough to do Snow's bidding at the Capitol in order to protect his family.

However, with his father's illness there wasn't much left for Finnick to protect anymore.

The late nights in the Capitol used to be horrifying when he was younger. Eventually, though, he got used to the idea of being an object and using it to his advantage. Secrets became his best friend; Finnick knew so much about Panem and the people running it that he knew he could one day change the course of the country for good.

He just needed to wait until the right time.

Finnick loved being home. He loved the sound of the waves hitting the ocean's surface and the feeling of the sand in between his fingers. However, he only got to come back to his home for The Reaping, which meant he had to once again mentor a hopeless tribute as he led them to their imminent deaths.

Annie making it out of the games alive was a fluke. He wouldn't be that lucky again.

He stood, hands crossed behind his back as he put out his fake, arrogant smile for the cameras. Finnick, The Victor, had become a completely separate personality than the real Finnick. It was The Victor that he now had to portray in front of everyone in order to avoid President Snow's wrath that had already caused him so much pain and suffering.

District 4's escort, Mayfair, had done her introductory remarks and replayed the same Capitol video that was shown every year during The Reaping. Finnick had disregarded all of it as he had memorized the entire thing the day of his own reaping when he thought he was going to die.

You never forget your death sentence.

It wasn't until Mayfair had walked towards the bowl of the next female tribute that Finnick snapped out of his trance and returned to the present, to the girl who would be sent into the games to die.

Before his games, District 4 used to carry Career Tributes. 18 year olds would volunteer to enter the games after training for the arena in order to bring pride to their district. However, something changed during Finnick's games; he was 14 and praying for a Career to save him but no one had come.

The Capitol had grown angry with District 4; their seafood supply was limited and talks of rebellion at the market grew. The Capitol had taken away the funds to train teenagers to fight.

Now, Finnick had gotten to mentor smaller, weaker, and younger tributes than his past counterparts. It wasn't fair, growing attached to someone for them to just be ripped away. When Annie had won, he had been relieved for only a moment until he realized her trauma had made her go mad.

It was almost better for her if she were dead.

"The female tribute from District 4 is," Mayfair spoke, "Lily Farway."

He anxiously awaited for a girl to walk towards the center pathway, scanning the crowd for moving eyes. However, Finnick's heart would sink as the girl would be revealed: a small, fragile girl with blonde hair who hadn't looked a day over 8. She was clearly malnourished and underdeveloped, probably no taller than four and a half feet.

Her blue eyes welled up in tears, making Finnick's mask slip for only a second. She was too young.

"Stop!" a woman's voice yelled. A girl, not much taller than poor Lily but much more mature, stepped in front of the small girl and held her protectively behind her back. Peacekeepers began to walk towards the girl before she spoke again: "I volunteer as tribute."