By the North Star | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Eighteen

It wasn't long before Annie and Finnick received an invitation to dinner down in the Dunes. Amelia, one of their newest and smallest recruits, had come running to the docks that morning to bring the news. Before they knew it, they were headed back towards home at the end of the day, carrying enough fish to feed the whole crew and their families too.

"Just you wait," Amelia was boasting to the others. "My mom makes the best fish in District 4!"

"And we catch the best fish in District 4!" Milo said triumphantly, raising one of the buckets into the air.

"For now, anyway." Liam was dragging his feet, falling behind the others. "My mom says I'll have to go back to school next week."

The others stopped in their tracks, turning to look back at him. He shrugged.

"Well, it is almost winter. They always send us back to school when the weather gets cold."

"But why do we have to go back to school?" exclaimed Noah. "We have jobs now! We work at the docks, like all the other fishermen!" He looked back at Annie. "You're not going to make us go back to school, are you?"

Annie and Finnick were walking behind the others, like they always did, holding hands and exchanging looks and stifling laughs as they listened to the kids' chatter.

"All the other fishermen went to school too, Noah," Annie replied. "You're not old enough to leave just yet."

"I'm just going to fish when I'm older. I'd rather just stay out in the boat with you."

"There's plenty of important things to learn in school too." Annie told him.

"Plenty of propaganda too," muttered Finnick.

Annie elbowed him and Finnick stumbled back, laughing.

"What?" he said. "You know it's the only reason they ever made us go. You think the Capitol cares about giving us an education?"

"You can't skip school," Annie said firmly, raising her voice over his. "You can still come work on the docks when you get out of class, but we're not going to help you miss school." She looked pointedly at Finnick. "Right, Finnick?"

Even if it was just propaganda they were teaching in those schools, they both knew that it was far safer not to draw any unnecessary attention from the peacekeepers and Capitol officials. Finnick nodded.

"Right," he agreed. "Besides, you're not missing much. The fishing's terrible in winter."

Noah considered that. "It does get really cold..."

"Do you think the other districts are even colder?" asked Belle. "Do they go to school in the wintertime too?"

"I saw pictures of 7 when that girl won the games. It looks really cold there – they had lots of snow."

"That's just because 7 is up north. Haven't you seen the maps at school? There are districts down south too. I bet it's warmer there."

"They can't be that different, can they? How far away are the other districts?"

"Finnick!" Milo called back to him. "You go on the train all the time. What's it like in the other districts?"

Annie squeezed Finnick's hand, as if she could keep him there just by holding on a little tighter.

"Well, there's not nearly so much water," Finnick told them. "It's just forests and trees and mountains as far as you can see."

"Don't they get tired of that?" asked Liam. "I would miss the ocean."