Never In Your Favour

Prologue part 2 - Our first reaping

By some chance, in the following years, the reaping was pushed back several weeks, so by the time Finnick and I had turned twelve, the reaping for that year was already over. The reaping used to be on July the fourth every year, but after the 60th games, the date was changed to June 21st - 6 days before Finnick's birthday. What with my birthday being July 28th, we were lucky to have a while to go before our next reaping.
A while it may have been, but still it had to come eventually. The morning was crisp and cool for June, and the most notable sensation was one of nausea in the pit of my stomach. I didn't dare imagine what it would be like competing in the 63rd hunger games. At least in District four, they didn't separate by gender in the crowd - only age - so I had Finnick to hold onto for dear life. Despite our names only being in the bowl once, I was terribly nervous as Harley drew the little death slips out of the glass vessel. Neither of us were called of course. It was not our time. We would have another year of dread and anticipation as a reward for our avoidance of the games.

The sun seemed to be setting on our beautiful friendship, when Finnick's father announced that he had signed his son up for the 'Career training year'. Finnick was to be sent off with several people from our year, for an entire year, to train, should he be called up for the games. I suppose, in hindsight, I should be thanking Mr Odair for saving his life.
I remember the moment Finnick told me. He came round to my house, with bloodshot and puffy eyes, still choking out tears.
'What on earth is the matter? Have you signed up for tesserae??? Oh Finnick, you promised you wouldnt!'
'No, I... nothing like that. My father he.. h-he signed me up for the career training.'
'Oh' I gasped, pulling him into a tight embrace, struggling to hold back my own tears. The thought of not seeing him for an entire year made my soul shrivel up.
'How long until...'
'We leave on the eve of the next reaping, so that's a month.'
'Oh.'
'It's not actually a year though... it's only 11 months I'll be gone!'
'That's... good.'

We spent the next month totally absorbed by each others' company. We stuck together, despite being mocked to an absurd level by members of our class due to our very close friendship. Everyone thought we were more than friends, an idea which, at the time, appalled both of us, as we never imagined seeing each other in that way at all, despite nearing the age of fourteen.
That last evening, after another uneventful reaping, where nobody we remotely knew was called, Finnick took me by the hand, and led me to the shoreline. He had around three hours before he had to leave. As we sat on the sand, huddled in a blanket, Finnick produced a large paper bag from behind his back, and handed it to me with a flourish and a chuckle.
Tentatively, I pried open the bag, only to find a mass of those special District seven nuts that I had tried all those years ago on my eighth birthday.
'I remembered your face when you tried these for the first time. I bought you 366. That's one for every day I'm away, and enough to last you until the next reaping. I got an extra one so we could each have one this evening' he said, producing a pair of nutcrackers with a grin.
'Oh Finnick you're the best friend anyone could ask for!' I shrieked, throwing my arms around him.
'Well, what can I say' he replied, getting to work with the crackers.
They were just as amazing as I remembered, and even better now I was sharing them with my favourite person in the world. I savoured every last bite, before laying my head on Finnick's lap and closing my eyes as he sung me to sleep.

~~~

When I awoke the next morning as the sun arose, I was so much colder and lonelier already. He must have been gone for mere hours and already I felt depressed. I trudged back to my house and slipped into a deep sleep for hours. I stayed in my room for days.
I had a new partner for the night watch: the girl, Guinevere Barrow, who was now nearly 18. I still remembered her look of relief when someone volunteered for her. We were a career District, yes, but did anyone REALLY want to be in the games? The thought of it happening to me filled me with anxiety. The thought of it happening to others filled me with terror.
She was nice enough, but she wasn't Finnick. She was fairly timid, but excellent with a spear, and could skewer fish right through the tail to pick them up, before letting them drown in the air of the boat. We weren't really supposed to fish on the night watch, but, as Guinevere said 'no one else is going to feed a family of eight.'
I began to count down the months until I could see Finnick again. Slowly, the pile of District 7 nuts dwindled, until there were only around fifty left. Twenty more days and then I would see him again. I wondered if he had changed. We were at the age where a lot could change in a year. I suppose I had changed rather. My hair was longer, I was a fair bit taller, and had gotten a bit more... I guess you'd say curvy. I couldn't imagine him changing though. Not from that charismatic but slightly awkward boy who still had an adult tooth yet to come through.
My ideas of the unchangeable Finnick were quickly squashed when May the 21st came around. I was up at 4 in the morning to wait for his boat to come in within the next half hour. As I saw it crest the horizon, excitement began to well up inside me, and I hopped around on the dock with glee. Many of my class stepped off the vessel, some of whom I barely recognised after a year. He was the last one off, and he was certainly very different.
His hair was not quite so fluffy, but more ruffled looking, and a gorgeous bronze colour. Even in his loose tunic-style shirt and leg-wear, it was possible to see well toned muscles, and from being in the sun, his skin had taken on a golden hue, giving him an Adonis-like quality. His eyes had lightened to a sea green, and as he beamed at me, he flashed two rows of perfectly white, dazzling teeth, in a charming way.
'Annie!!' He exclaimed, running over to me and lifting me up in his now extremely strong arms. For a fourteen year old, he was now exceptionally muscular, and part of me felt pity for how rigorous his training must have been.'
'I've missed you so much Annie, you have no idea!'
'I've missed you too Finnick. Night watch hasn't been the same without you. Nothing has.'
'Well I managed to write in advance and get us a fish catching position from two until nine, up until the reaping. I can put my new skills to use, and teach you some techniques, if you want me to of course?'
'Oooh I'm intrigued, what more can you possibly have learnt? Your father is such an expert already!'
Lurching over to the boat, and re-emerging with a swish, Finnick brandished a silver trident, twirling it around his fingers, before plunging it into the ocean, and yanking it out with a fish caught on each prong, right in their eyes. I was utterly dumbfounded. I found it impossible to believe that this strong, charming, and actually very attractive young man was the same boy whom I had said goodbye to a year earlier. Yet, he was, and although he may have physically changed, he was still the kind Finnick I knew.
'You've grown up a lot.' I said. 'You look different!'
'So do you. Good different?'
'I think so... me?'
'Absolutely. I swear you must have been getting even more beautiful every day Annie. I've missed my best friend.' He laughed, hugging me again. We had a month until the reaping and, once again we spent it together, laughing and having the most wonderful time. That was until the day before the annual torture.
Sitting in the park, eating the penultimate  nut in the gifted bag from Finnick, who was helping his father bring in the catch, Leta approached and sat next to me.
'My, wherever did you get two of those lovely Chilacros?'
'Chilacros?'
'Those nuts from District four. They're ever so expensive.'
'Oh, Finnick gave me 366 last year as a parting gift.'
Leta's mouth dropped open in shock.
'That certainly explains why he took out all those tesserae. That must have cost more money than I'll ever dream of having. He must really love you.'
'Tesserae? Finnick never took out tesserae. And he doesn't love me any more than as a friend.'
'I'm sorry Annie but I refuse to believe that. Getting a couple of Chilacros for a friend I could understand, but 366, prompting the need for 6 tesserae? That is an act of love. I should be going now. Good luck for tomorrow.'
She left me on the grass in the park, staring at the final nut in the bag, with a single tear rolling down my cheek.
That night, for the first time since my brother had escaped his final reaping, I prayed that luck would be kind.