I'll Know | Finnick Odair

one.

ONE YEAR LATER.

"The two of them?" Janey barks, whipping her head over at Mama.

The woman in question nods, a frown plastered across her face. She looks at me, walking over to place a hand on my shoulder.

I let my jaw drop.

Snow isn't going to like that.

"That's crazy!" Janey cries, jumping off the couch and bounding out the door.

Two victors this year, the boy and girl from district twelve. They'd won by the threat of suicide, Mama had revealed. I'd closed my eyes at the thought of night lock between Keenan's fingers, causing his death. A protest he meant to be as significant as the two winners this year. His efforts were in vein. Of course, it killed him quickly, stopped his heart just a minute after mine. He wasn't able to be revived, but my wounds were physical. Mine were the type of wounds you can sew shut, pump me full of blood and adrenaline to get my heart beating again.

Don't get me wrong, it's a miracle I'm still alive. Half decapitated, nobody thought I'd live. There wasn't supposed to be a victor of the 73rd Hunger Games. Then there was.

No amount of clawing my stitches out and banging my head against rocks could help succeed in Keenan's plan. They are relentless at keeping The Immortal alive. The Immortal is an ironic title for Caesar to have given me. I'm the most suicidal of all living tributes.

"You're going to be okay, Venus." Mama says, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in hers.

I shudder at the memory of Keenan kneeling in front of me.

"Can you please not kneel like that, Mama." I whisper, pulling her to sit beside me instead.

She curses under her breath, before mumbling an apology.

I didn't watch the Games this year. Neither did my little sister, Janey. She wanted to, after seeing the girl from Twelve volunteer for her sister. The little girl is apparently the exact same age as her. As the family member of a Victor, Janey will forever be safe from the Hunger Games. This realization has caused her to hyper-fixate on the victims, a life she feared her whole childhood. She only suffered one reaping, where she attempted to volunteer for me. I didn't want it happen, and my friends from school made sure to withhold her from getting too close.

Months after I'd won my Games, Janey'd been lying in my bed with me during my fourth hospital stay. She was tired, delirious from hours of crying and no sleep. I'd told her I would do it to make sure she never went in all over again, and she'd confessed she was grateful her attempt to volunteer fell through. She said she would've never made it, and she would've missed her voice.

It's true, but it made me wish someone who was bigger and stronger than I was could've succeeded in some plan to save me from this all. Truth be told, destiny is destiny. If I hadn't gone into my games I could've been chosen for this one. Apparently nobody stood a chance against the Star-crossed Lovers.

"I'm going to go outside." I sign to her, a language I recently got good at. "I love you."

I carefully stood from the couch, trudging along to the front door where I paused. I inhaled the cool summer air, feeling the breeze in my dress blow it up slightly. Up at the gates of District Four were my friends, all waving their arms and cheering when they noticed me.