The Capitol Star • A Finnick Odair Story

Four

Being 21 is hard. My brother is 15 now since his birthdays today, and we're living ok. The life of a Victor is alright too. I got to go to big capitol parties and met the new game maker, when the old one suddenly went missing. The capitol had made me an axe murderer, dressed as the capitols sweetheart. Everyone loved and adored me. Me and Lui moved to a house with other victors in district 12 because our home "wasn't safe anymore" with soldiers filling our district, beating me and my brother. They abused our people, we had curfews and everything. But weirdly enough, they were mainly targeting us.

Last years hunger games winners are here too. Their home might be worse then ours, but we're "safer" here. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, live two houses down. They stop beatings in the square, and fight peacekeepers which is very very dangerous for them. My brother won the year before them, when his name was called out of the bowl at only 13. I mentored him, that is how he made it out alive. It was hard, watching him from the tv, silently praying he made it out alive.

He hid well, and murdered fine.  When I heard that Finnick Odair might be coming to our lovely therapy house circle, I wanted to die. What would Snow think if Finnick only lived a house down. Finnick and me haven't talked since my 15th birthday, only giving a small head nod, which slowly stopped occurring. Which I prefer. Who would want to see him anyways. My hatred for him has only grown since he ditched me in that limo. How did being a fucking prostitute not bother him. But being honest with myself I would've much rathered to live in his neighborhood, district four, then this coal mine. It's only us.

I see the capitols sweetheart lovers sometimes when I leave my house to go to get food for my brother and I. I don't know how they did it. How they won based on the love for each other.

I don't believe it for one second. The games ruin you. You could never be in love after, whatever they put you through. Who would love a cold hearted axe murderer, signed up for prostitution, having to sleep with every man in the Capitol, and women. But that's not what the capitol saw. They saw the youngest victor. The favorite. The star.

Anyways, of course I get swooped up by my capitol team every once in a while. My team is probably the best. First off we have my stylist, Augustus, then Lina, and Bluey, and then Jackie. I love Jackie, we're similar in ways. She's older than the rest of us, but I love her nevertheless. They take me to my capital parties, that I can't refuse. We all have our debt to the capitol, we all just pay it in our own ways.

It's cold outside today, snow falls from the sky, falling softly on the doorstep outside. It removes all traces of the stone underneath it, completely wiping away even the memory of it, until it melts away like it does every year.

Me and Luigi are in the kitchen, whisking up batter for his birthday cake, which is sadly the day before the reaping, when suddenly there were rapid knocks on the door. We exchange looks as I place the bowl down and wipe my floury hands on my apron as I make my way to the door.

When I turn the cold, metal knob my capitol team bursts through, making me stumble back.

"TURN ON THE TV!" They shout and run to the living room. I give my brother a concerned look as we rush behind them. The tv screen flashes on and whispers reach my ears from the capitol members next to me. "Snow said he has news for the upcoming games."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 75th year, of the hunger games," President Snow stands on a podium, with a black suit with a white rose tucked into the suit pocket. His white beard still, his beady eyes staring into the camera, as if he's staring directly at me, talking to me and only me. My eyes lightly scan over the room, as they fall on the vase in the middle of the coffee table. White roses, the dead petals scattered beneath them, withering away.