𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 ♥ 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙊𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙧 ♥

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❝𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨. 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.❞

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"Finnick! Chase me!"  A  5 year old Meara shouted. She ran around the shallow water of the ocean. Finnick, 7 years old, had a huge grin on his face as he ran after Meara. Meara laughed as she ran away, the water splashing around them. Finnick grabbed her arm, tackling her into the water. When the two resurfaced, they glanced at each other for a second before bursting into fits of giggles. "Again! Again!" Meara chanted, swimming away. Finnick couldn't say no to the girl. He swam after her. Meara, with a slight advantage, swam faster than Finnick. Meara turned her head to see Finnick trying to keep up with her pace. "You're so slow, Finnick!" Meara laughed. "Where'd you learn to swim so fast?" Finnick chuckled, catching up to her. "My dad! He brought me out here three times a week when I was 3."  Meara smiled  a toothy grin. 

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"Meara? Meara, where are you?" Finnick, 9 years old, ran into her house. Meara, now 7 years old, was slumped on the floor. "Is he gone? Is he really gone? What happened to him?" Meara sniffed, her tear stained face looking at his. "He's gone, Meara. I'm sorry."  Finnick sat next to her on the ground. He pulled her shaking body into his. "No... He's not. He can't be." Meara whimpered, leaning into him. She felt like she was dying. She felt pain, guilt, fear. She felt all this because she was still alive.

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"Finnick!"  12 year old Meara ran into the room Finnick was in. She pulled him into a tight embrace. "You have to win." Tears streamed down her face as she silently cried. Finnick, only 14, replied, "There's no way I can guarantee that, Meara." Finnick's voice was in a hushed whisper. He held her head close to his chest as he forced himself  to not cry. He had to be brave in front of her. "What... What if you die? I can't lose you like I lost him. I can't, Finnick. I can't." Meara sobbed. The male tribute for the 65th Hunger Games was, Finnick Odair.

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"Meara Rivers!"  Sage, the District 4 escort, called out. Meara froze, looking around at the other girls beside her. The girl on her left, stepped aside creating a clear path for Meara. Obviously, no one was going to volunteer for her. "She's only 15!" Meara heard someone shout. Meara walked into the aisle. Immediately, she was grabbed by peacekeepers. She walked up to the stage. "The male tribute for District 4 is, Cormac Reynolds!" Sage called out. Reluctantly, a boy, who looked to be about 12, walked into the aisle and up onto the stage. Sage called out, with a smile, "Our tributes, from District 4, for the 68th Annual Hunger Games!"  

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Meara walked out of her house. She lived in Victors Village. It was close to midnight. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jackets as she walked to the ocean. Every night, she would just stare into the water. The calmness it brought her soothed her. Calmed her down in a way. The waves slapped against each other, creating a sound like no other. Some nights she would stand there for hours. Others, she would only have to spend a few minutes. As Meara was walking back, she noticed a broadcast playing in the village. President Snow. Curious, she walked over to the screen and listened intently. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the 75th year of the Hunger Games. It was written in the charter of the games, that every 25 years there would be a Quarter Quell. To keep fresh for each new generation. The memory of those who died in the uprising against the Capitol. Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by games of a special significance and now, on this thee, 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the third Quarter Quell. As a reminder, that even the strongest can not overcome the power of the Capitol. On this, the third Quarter Quell game, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors in each district."

Meara felt herself tense up. President Snow kept talking, but one sentence repeated in her head over and over. She was as pale as a ghost, almost as if she'd just seen one. Her legs has suddenly stopped working as she sunk to the ground. It was hard to not show any emotion when something like this happened. Slow tears slipped down her face as she silently cried. She stood up and quickly ran. She didn't know where she was running too, but she just ran. When she stopped, she was in front of a house. She knocked loudly. She knocked four times, to be exact. The door opened immediately. "Meara?" Finnick hushed out. If he spoke above a whisper, his voice would break and he'd give his facade up. "Don't act tough, Finnick." Meara whispered back, stepping inside the house and wrapping her arms around Finnick's neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. 

Finnick closed the door, gently, with Meara's back. His arms wrapped around her waist, tightly. His head rested on her shoulder. "What are we going to do?" 

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