A fate worse than death~~A Finnick Odair story~~

1. Happiness

She had never disliked Finnick.
He wasn't an important person in her life. He was a classmate, about 1 and a half years older, nothing else, nothing special.

She couldn't say anything bad about the boy. Sure, he had beaten her in the mat a few times, but he did that to all the students, he was just good, and she was, well she was not.

So when 14-year-old Finnick Odar's name was called for the 65th Hunger Games, it didn't bother her much. Of course she felt sorry for the boy, she did for everyone who had to die in the arena, but then again, it wasn't like they were close.

But the boy disproved all doubts, when he received a treud as a sponsor gift, and after that he was unstoppable. Before long, Finnick had won the entire Hunger Games and the hearts of the capital's residents, all while being the youngest winner ever.

~~~

Almost a year had passed since Finnick had won. Elizabeth's life had flowed on as usual between the reaping days.

On weekdays she had gone to school which was followed by training. On Saturdays she woild fished with her father, if he was home, otherwise she had helped her mother clean and sell fish, and if there was even a spare minute she spent it with Ian. Her little brother was only 4, he still didn't know what this world held, but with Elizabeth as a sister he might never have to find out how truly horrible it could be.

Elizabeth herself had had to grow up quickly, when she was little the family sufferd hard time.
Her father would sometimes be gone for weeks on fishing trips, leaving Elizabeth and her mother to fend for themselves. Her father had therefore taught her to fish when she was seven, then at the age of eight she could tie her own netts, at ten she was a master at rinsing fish, she saw the knife as an extension of herself and at eleven she had started learn to spear fish.

The last part she thought was because her father realized she might be raffled off to the hunger games, but she had passed the first time.
But Finnick hadn't.

Technically, she was eleven the first time she entered the draw.
Her birthday happened some day during the games and since the capital whent on the year and not the day one was born, she had been there.

Tomorrow it was once again reaping day, she found no joy in the day, but no fear either.
The chances of her name being drawn were slim to none, but still she was glad that Ian was still too young to participate.

Even though she never thought that any of them would be drawn, the thought that she could one day lose her brother, was simply deth.

If she lost him, she didn't know what she would do. It went for her whole family. She loved her family, more than anything in the world, the way her mother hummed songs when she was stressed, the way her father came home with a big smile and the smell of fish after a fishing trip, and Ian, she loved everything about her little brother, his laugh , how he smiled in his sleep, that he called her Izzy, yes everything. So the thought of losing even one of them was utterly unbearable.

But it doesn't matter, because she wouldn't lose anyone.

Her thoughts were jolted back to reality when she saw a fish moving in front of her. Quickly she threw her spear, and hit.

She hit right in the middle of the fish, which might not have been the best, but anyway she hit it. Her father was coming home today, and before he left she had promised that she would master the art of spearfishing.
There was just one small problem, she had forgotten.

She hadn't practiced at all, and like the stubborn 12-year-old she was, she refused to admit it. So now she was standing here. On the little dock outside their little house, at dawn, making the most of every minute before her father would come home.

When her mother came out a few hours later to study her daughter, she gave up. She had managed to catch three fish, each one better than the other. Only one had escaped.
"Are you planing on telling youre father--."
Her mother began before Elizabeth interrupted her.
"Never!"
Her mother held out a hand to her and she went to take it.
"I think you've done enough fishing for today, how about some breakfast instead?"
"That sounds good."
She took her mother's hand and together they went up the small stone stairs to the kitchen and began to prepare today's breakfast.

When Elizabeth had woken Ian and the three of them sat down at the worn dining table, everything felt almost perfect, there was only one person missing.

She had hardly even finished the thought before her father slammed open the door of the small house and called out.
"Where is my beautiful wife and my two lovely children!"
Ian immediately rushed off frome the table and into their father's arms, he bent down to pick the boy up in a bear hug and Elizabeth also joined in.

The only one waiting for James to enter the house was his beautiful wife, she remained at the kitchen table and instead let her husband, now with their two children, come to her.
Once he was there, she too joined in the hug, and Elizabeth found herself thinking she was the luckiest girl in the hole world. Her parents were perfect, her family was perfect, her intire life was perfect!
Nothing could ruin this.
Nothing could ruin her happiness.