Pearls and Perils ・❥・Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapter 4

I step into the chariot as Seraphina and Fortuna finalize little details and make sure our skirts are laid out the perfectly.
"Remember- big smiles and have fun!" Seraphina exclaims. The music starts, the gates open, and we wait until districts 1-3 have exited. When we finally exit, I'm deafened by the roar of the crowd. All of the screaming, shouting, and cheering has merged into one ball of noise. I play into it, I put on my biggest smile and wave to the crowd. I blow kisses in each direction and the crowd is going nuts. The concept of capitol citizens chanting my name is strange to me, but I only hope that means they like me. We enter the city circle and wait for the rest of the districts to arrive. On the balcony above us I can make out the face of President Snow. I don't think I could hate a person more than I hate him; and now he's smugly admiring the kids he's sending to slaughter from above.

The music crescendos and Snow gives the official welcome. He talks about the games, the anthem plays, and then we disappear into the training center. We're flagged down by our prep team and the chariot comes to a halt.

"You two did great! You were glowing!" Seraphina cheered. Mags claps her hands and gives a big smile.

"Yeah you guys were awesome." Finnick states as he reaches his hand up to me to help me out of the chariot. I take it and try to get down as carefully as possible in heels and this long ass dress, but I step on the train and slip.

And of course Finnick catches me perfectly in his arms.

"Are you going to make some cheesy comment about how I'm literally falling for you?" I snicker.

"No, but I was going to ask if you fell on purpose just so you could be in my arms." He smirks.

"You wish." I roll my eyes playfully. He sets me down and that's when I realize all eyes are on us. Not just my prep team, but all the other tributes and their prep teams too. All the stares are distasteful, even disgusted, stares.

"Get a room." Ronan scoffs. Finnick awkwardly laughs it off.

"Well then it's been a long day," Seraphina starts, "Let's go to our floor and everyone can wash up before dinner." I say goodbye to my prep team for now, and we step into the elevator. We have the entire fourth floor, and our own bedrooms again, which are somehow even more lavish than the ones on the train. I step into the shower, which I could stay in for hours because of all the different buttons that control various settings. I scrub the makeup off my face and try to do the same for the glitter everywhere, but each time I think it's all gone more magically appears. Once I'm satisfied I step out of the shower and change into comfy clothes I found in the drawer. I leave my room to find everyone at the dinner table waiting for me. Seraphina, Fortuna, and Ronan's stylist are already carried away in conversation about what our interview outfits will be.

"Ronan's suit will just be breathtaking! Made of lambswool and of course it's sea green!" Ronan's stylist gleams. The table notices me approaching.

"Oh yes and Y/n will look beautiful as well." Fortuna adds.

"Why am I going to be naked again?" I reply sarcastically.

Fortuna gasps. "You were not naked! How dare you berate my work?" She snapped. "But if you must know, there will be a little more fabric for your interview." A little more fabric? God help me.

"I'm sorry Fortuna I didn't mean it like that, I loved my outfit." I reply plainly. I stay relatively quiet the rest of dinner, but chime in when training gets brought up.

"Training starts tomorrow, and it can be a bit overwhelming as you try to cover so much in a short span of time. We talked about that yesterday but we didn't talk much about allies. Either of you given any thought to that?" Finnick asks. I don't trust anyone but I also know me vs the entire career pack is a death sentence.

"I think I might have an alliance with the careers. I talked with them at the opening ceremony a bit but I'll keep talking to them during training." Ronan flaunts. Of course Ronan is joining the careers.

"Okay, y/n?" Finnick asks.

"I haven't really thought about it much. I'll get a better read on everyone tomorrow." I reply.

"Well then on that note," Seraphina chimes in checking the time, "you two should get to bed. You've got an exciting day ahead of you!" I push in my chair and wish everyone a good night's sleep. I return to my chambers and I fall into a deep sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

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I wake up in my bed back in district four. My stiff blanket and closet sized bedroom may be filth compared to the ones in the capitol but it's home, and I'm relieved to be there. But when I get up I realize my little sister is curled up in the corner of my room staring at a photo.

"Cora!" I exclaim throwing myself out of my bed. "I've missed you." She doesn't respond. She doesn't even look up. As I approach her she looks sickly; she's dangerously thin, and as pale as you can be in district four. "Cora." I say again, still no response as tears roll down her cheeks. "Cora I'm here-" I attempt to hug her but I fall right through her body like a ghost moving through walls. I examine my hands and I'm suddenly transported to our living room. My dad is passed out on the couch surrounded by piles of liquor bottles. I run to him, calling out "Dad! Dad!" and trying to shake him awake. He won't budge so I run back to Cora. When I open the door to our bedroom, I find her lifeless body sprawled out on the floor. The photo she was holding earlier now laying by her side, it was a photo of me. I fall to my knees and sob. This is all my fault.

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I wake up, for real this time, screaming restlessly. I forget that everyone else can hear me as the tears roll down my face. My door flings open.

"Y/n! What happened, are you okay?" Finnick stammered. He sits on my bed and turns the lamp on. I'm hyperventilating, I've never been like this before. I can feel my lungs collapsing in on me. "Breathe." He says, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Just breathe." He starts taking deep breaths in and out and I try to copy his pattern. It works. Soon enough my breathing is back to normal.

"What's going on?" Seraphina bursts in the room. "I heard someone screaming."

"Bad dream." I manage to mutter.

"It's okay I got this." Finnick says to Seraphina. "You can go back to bed." She nods and says she hopes I'll get good sleep. When she's gone Finnick looks back at me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I nod. I tell him the entirety of my dream in detail, but then I stumble over my words and start breathing erratically again when I talk about the way I found my sister.

"Shh, it's alright. Just a dream. Not real." He reassures me.

"But it could be." I blurt out. "Finnick I cannot die. If I die my sister will die and then-" I trail off and start sobbing again. Finnick holds me in his arms, letting me cry all over him.

"You will not die." He states. "I've known since the moment you were reaped that you would be the victor. And I'm going to do everything in my power to bring you home, okay?"

I draw back from his warm embrace and give him a nod. "I'm so sorry for waking you." I say.

"Don't apologize. We all have nightmares." He says wiping the tears from my eyes with his thumbs.

"Thank you." I whisper, looking into his eyes.

"Of course. If you have another one, wake me. I'm always here, day or night." He whispers back.

"Good night Finnick." I say

"Good night Y/n." He replies as he gets up and closes my door firmly.