The Imagination Latibule: The Hunger Games - Sweet as Sugar

Chapter 1

You had already survived one Hunger Games, the 66th Annual Hunger Games to be precise. It was considered by the Capitol to be the most boring, anticlimactic Hunger Games in its 66 year history. The arena was a freezing artic tundra, and the game was deemed not exciting enough, as except from the cornucopia bloodbath which was to be  expected at the beginning of every game, half the tributes spent their time huddled in a ball to conserve heat whilst the other half froze to death. 

You were the youngest girl ever to win, and you won without killing a single person. A cannibalistic tribute from District 1 by the name of Titus came in second place. His kills had to be censored over how gruesome they were, which also left the Capitol unsatisfied. They wanted blood. When it was just the two of you left, sponsors flooded him with gifts, begging the Gamemakers to broadcast his final kill without any censorship, and their agreement bought him even more. 

But there was a guardian angel looking over you, and his name was Finnick Odair. The youngest tribute to win the Hunger Games, he was a mere 14 when he won the 65th Hunger Games a year before you. He was from the same district as you, District 4, the fishing district which gave him expert knot-tying abilities, a trait unique enough to catch his enemies in hand-woven nets and stab them to death. You didn't judge his character on his kills. He was doing what he had to to survive. Most tributes weren't killers, save the careers from the Capitol and District 1 and 2 who trained for the honour of partaking in such barbaric games. District 4 had once upon a time trained children for the games, but thankfully came to their senses. Sort of. 

Finnick wasn't your mentor; ironically, he was considered too young to teach, but something must have resonated with him when he watched you fighting for your life. He saw himself in you. You were weeks apart in age, and with his new found popularity amongst the capitol, had convinced someone to send you a few gifts. A parachute and a Rumbler. Both saved your life. Titus had cornered you atop a snowy mountain, an array of knives tied to a belt slung around his body. You were on the edge of the cliff. Had you gone over it, you would've been dead. But the Rumbler, a device designed by the capitol to simulate earthquakes, had your back. You activated it and threw it on the ground, and the earth beneath the two of you began to shake, causing an avalanche. Titus' sponsors had been so sure he'd win, they'd only given him the means to kill, not the means to survive. With the avalanche heading towards you both, you sprinted off the cliff, parachuting to safety and leaving Titus to die on the mountainside.

It took half an hour for the cannon to go off, signalling his death. It was the longest 30 minutes of your life, pacing back and forth, praying to anyone who could hear you that you'd survived. When it finally did, you could practically hear the boos from the Capitol. You were the underdog, and President Snow didn't like an underdog.

When you left the games, and finished your tour of the districts - something all victors had to do and you assumed equally hated - you were given a home in the wealthiest part of your district. The Victor's Village. There were only three houses; one for you, one for Finnick, and one for an elderly woman called Mags who won the 11th Hunger Games. You were allowed to live with your family, but you were an only child who's father had passed in a boating accident and mother had drunk herself to death whilst you were fighting for your life. So you lived alone with enough income from the Capitol to live comfortably for life, and special status in your district that you really didn't want. 

That's when you met Finnick for the first time. As two fifteen year olds alone in giant mansions, the mental weight of your time in the games crippled you both. The difference was that Finnick was adored by the nation, his blond hair, blue eyes, good looks and charms had got him far, whereas you were to forever be known as the girl who won the worst Hunger Games. But that didn't stop him from knocking on your door. When you opened it, he was stood there in an oversized cream cardigan, fiddling nervously with his fingers.