Victors : A Catching Fire story

01

    *I was running to where Hudson was. A canon went off and he was going to find water. The snow slowed me down, but it was all practically melted. I saw him leaning over the melted river scooping up water in a bottle. "Hudson!" I shouted and he looked over at me. I felt relieved at just the sight of him. He stood up to walk over to me, but an owl swooped down and pierced its talons into Hudson's shoulder. I froze as he fell to the floor in pain, the owl kept swooping down at him and ripping his skin off of him. "HUDSON." I screamed as I watched. Tears were streaming down my face, and I felt frozen in place. The screams of my older brother petrified me. We were supposed to win together. We were supposed to go home. Hudson was on the ground and the owl kept going at him, I finally broke out of my trance and pulled on of my knifes from my vest and threw it at the owl. I ran over to my brother and kneeled down next to him. 
"Marina." Hudson whispered. I put my hand on his cheek. 
"You'll be okay, you'll make it home." He smiled before going limp. I cradled his head as I cried, the hovercraft hovered about me, but I wouldn't let go. I would never let go.*

    I woke up in a cold sweat while panting. I often had nightmares of my brother's death, it's not exactly something you can just get over. I got out of bed, and I put on a black one-piece bathing suit with a flowy dress over it. I walked out of my room and snuck quietly down the stairs and then outside. Victors Village in four was decently lively and well taken care of, today it was warm with a nice breeze. As I walked to the beach, I saw all the fishermen on the docks getting everything ready for the upcoming hours. It reminded me of my dad Joe, I was always closer to him then my mom. He was the one who let me play with his fishing knifes which eventually led me to winning the Hunger Games. When he died in his fishing accident my mom lost herself, he was the only thing keeping her taking care of me and Hudson, and ever since he died, she's despised us, she acted as if it was all our fault. 
"Marina!" Finn said as I walked up to him. He was my dad's best friend and without his help me and mom probably would've starved to death.
"Capitan Finn! About to go fishing?" I asked as he picked up a bucket of bait. 
"You bet, why are you up this early?" He asked.
"I'm going for a morning swim." I said while smiling. 
"Ah well you have fun, I gotta get back to work." I nodded and he walked on his boat. I kept walking down the dock and down the steps to the beach. No one was there and the water was still. I took off my shoes and my dress and walked out into the water. It was freezing at first, but I know I'll get used to it, like always. I went all the way under, and the bustling docks turned into complete silence. I came out of the water and ran my fingers through my hair. I walked out of the water and got all my stuff and made my way back home, my mom was probably awake by now. I walked through the door and into the kitchen, she was already sat at the dining table drinking. 
"Where have you been, don't track water into my house." Mom said while flinging around her alcohol bottle. I grabbed the bottle out of her hands and put it on a countertop. 
"It's my house." I say while looking for something for breakfast.
"It's always the attitude with you. Just because you're a victor and lives all high and mighty does not mean you're better than me." Mom blabbers on. I grab some bread, butter, cheese, and jam and put them on the table. "Imagine how you father would feel. He tried to raise you well in the situation we were in and now you're all spoiled." Mom said aggressively. 
"I earned what I have. What we have." I exasperated. 
"Raise your voice at me and watch what happens." I rolled my eyes and walked into the backyard. When I was little my dad brought home a baby lemon tree, so it only felt right to bring one here. I picked off all of the lemons that were ready and took them inside, I ignored everything my mom felt like she had to say and after I put them in the fruit bowl, I walked over to one of the other houses in the village, of course it's where Finnick and Annie live. Annie was watering her ferns when I walked up the steps. 
"Good morning, Annie!" I smiled at her as she turned to me. 
"Marina!" She beamed. 
"Is Finnick inside?"  Finnick was my mentor during my games. We had grown fond of each other, and I trust him more than anyone else.
"Yeah, you can join him, I'll be in there in a bit." I smiled before walking inside their house. It was livelier and homier than mine that's why I spend most of my time here. Like Annie said Finnick was in the living room looking at an old book. 
"What's that?" I ask while sitting next to him. 
"Photos, from my games." He didn't look up at me and his eyes were glued to this one picture of him during the victor parade. He was only fourteen and they put him in a tiny cloth that wrapped around his lower torso and high coral shoes. For my parade I had to wear a blue bikini with a fishing net over top, mind you I was only fifteen. My fashion designer said the blue brought out my eyes and my wavy blonde hair. 
"I don't look at my pictures, my mom does though. She spends all of her time flipping through his pictures." I say.
"He was a good kid, he would've done anything for you." Finnick says while closing the book. I look at my lap at my destroyed cuticles as my eyes tear up.
"Marina," Finnick was beginning to say but Annie walked in caring a tray with mugs filled of tea. She sat down next to Finnick and handed us our mugs. 
"Thanks Annie." I said while wiping my eyes. The TV turned on and we all looked startled. 
 "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 75th year of The Hunger Games, and it was written in the charter of The Games that every 25 years, there would be a Quarter Quell. Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by Games of a special significance, we celebrate the 3rd Quarter Quell as a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of The Capitol. On this, the 3rd Quarter Quell Games, the male and female Tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of Victors in each district."  I froze, Annie cried, and Finnick got angry. As the tears in my eyes swelled up, I got up and walked over to my house. My tears started falling and I saw my mom in the living room looking up at the TV. She looked over at me before I ran up the stairs. 
"Marina!" She yelled out. I slammed my door and fell against it. I hugged my knees as sobs escaped my mouth. Not again. I can't do this again. I finally started to feel a tiny bit of peace and now everything comes back to me. The killing. The hiding. The crying. The panicking. The surviving. I want to go home, back to the old, small, lively house with my dad and Hudson. The scent of seawater that came off my dad and the safety from Hudson. I want it back, before I die.

    The next day I woke up on my floor. No nightmares. I walk downstairs and my mom is smothering butter on her bread at the dining table. "The reaping is today." She says plainly. 
"I don't want to talk about it." I shoved some bread in my mouth. 
"You'll have too sooner or later." I just rolled my eyes and started picking at my cuticles as I chewed. "Marina, I loved your father, and your brother. Their death wasn't only hard on you." She says. 
"Their deaths weren't my fault, why'd you take it out on me? I needed someone; I needed my mom." I cried.
"I saw Hudson's death; you could've done something sooner." 
"You don't think I know that. I live with my decisions every day. You have no idea what it's like in there, and now they want to put me back in. I wonder what it'll feel like when you lose your daughter, maybe you might actually appreciate what I've done for you ever since dad died." I say. 
"You've done nothing but be ungrateful for the childhood I gave you." 
"I'm glad you think that, I hope that thought comes back to you watch me die." I get up and walk out of the room. I go upstairs and put on white pants with a blue shirt on and I walk over to Finnick's house. Both of them are already ready and Finnick is hugging Annie. I know what happened to Annie and how it's affected her, I'd do anything to keep her safe, and I know Finnick would to. He turned and saw me, Annie cried even harder and Finnick dragged me into an office.  
"Marina, I need to ask a big favor." He said.
"What is it?" I ask.
"If Annie gets called, would you volunteer for her. Please." Finnick begged. 
"Fine, but if you live and I die you have to take care of my mom. Don't let her keep drinking or fall into worse habits." I say and he nods. A few peacekeepers barge in and Annie grabs onto Finnick as a peacekeeper grabs my arm. They lead us down to where the reaping is held, and everyone is there waiting. I see some of my old school friend crying in the crowd and some of Hudson's friends looking gloomy. We walk up the stage and district four's escort Venia walked up to the microphone. She looked over at me and gave a sad smile, she was the escort for my games as well and she's like a mother to me. 
"Good day everyone, welcome to the 75th Quarter Quell. As always ladies first." She walked over to the glass bowl filled up of three slips of paper. She pulled one out and read it aloud. "Annie Cresta." Annie started panicking. 
"I volunteer as tribute." I say only loud enough for Venia to heard and her heart breaks. 
"The lady tribute for District four, Marina Beckett." Venia said softly. I walked up next to her, and the crowd all looked gloomy. "And now our male tribute." Venia pulled out the single slip of paper in the male bowl, "Finnick Odair." He walked up beside her, "Your district four tributes." No one clapped or moved, everyone was just kind of stuck in place. The peacekeepers grabbed me and Finnick and pushed us into the mayoral building and into a car.