The Hunger Games: The Untold Story of Annette Snow

Chapter 4

The next day brought forth another storm. Thunder cracked angerly outside, wind whipping rain furiously agianst the towers and making them tremble. My eyelids struggled to open, failing terribly. The re was something hypnotic about the steady beating of the raindrops hitting the glass, lullying me back to sleep. Rolling my head back, I rolled over into the fluffy pillows. The lightning was imprinted on the backs of my eyelids and I could see the exact pattern of flashing white light even with my face burried in the feathers. As soon as they closed, however, memories of my fight with Mayer came streaming back to me. I could vividly rememer the sharp pain in my stomach, like a knife being twisted in my gut, when Mayer had started ripping on Jax. Who did he think he was? Jax was--is--a great guy, and probably the best boyfriend I've ever had. He's always been there for me, smiling for the cameras and issuing polite but detached statements for the press. Speaking of which, I have an interview in just a few minutes about the upcomming Hunger Games. 

Rolling out of bed, I felt the world shift and sway slightly. For some reason, this strange sensation always happened right after getting out of bed, and I despised it. Shaking my head, I felt like a dog trying to get water out of its ears right after a swim. As soon as I felt normal, I trudged over to my waredrobe and pulled out the first thing I grabbed. My fight with Mayer was still fresh in my mind, though I was unsure of how to proceed. We had fought before, though never this badly. I checked my phone. Two new messages from Val, one from Kyste, none from Mayer. Well, it looked like someone was trying the silent treatement. Two could play at that game, though, so I powered it down and slid into a comfy pair of boots, locking my door on the way to breakfast. 

***

The dining hall was vast, large enough to fit a good hundred people around the dinner table if needed. I slid into my normal seat, just to the left of the head. Pulling out a book Kyste had given me, I tried to focus on the text but Mayer's voice floated in through the doorway. "I don't want to spend the day in lessons again, Val. We should do something." The two of them walked into the room, laughing and chatting. Val looked over at me, eyes darting away as they met mine. I waved slightly at them, offering up an awkward smile. Mayer didn't look at me, just walked to the other side of the table and pulled out his phone, texting away. Val sat down next to me, bumping my shoulder slightly with her own. 

"What's up?" She asked. I looked down, fiddling with the sleeve of my sweater. 

"Nothing really. How are you?" Val looked at me with an unreadible experssion on her face before forcing a smile. 

"Oh nothing new since yesterday."  A beeping on my phone made me look down, tapping the screen lightly. A bubble popped up on the screen, the letters flowing in as Jax typed. 

Hey

My heart jumped. 

I debated how long to wait texting back-would it seem desperate if I responded immediatly? Would he think it rude if I waited?  Val glanced over my shoulder and peeked at my phone. 

"Ana, just text him back." Her voice was slightly muffled and I glanced over to see her quickly making her way through a stack of pancakes. 

I tapped the surface of the phone, writing a quick, sweet answer. 

Morning 

Mayer had quieted down when my phone buzzed but when I looked up, he had resumed a constant stream of chatter with Kyste, who was looking more and more torn between Mayer and me by the second. He absolutley hated discourse of any kind. 

"So what's the plan for today guys?" Val asked, trying to lighten the mood. I opened my mouth to offer up an idea, but Mayer beat me too it. 

"We should go outside, do something. Try and get out of this God-forsaken place for a little while." I squinted at him, not sure if he was being serrious or not. 

"Um, one, it's storming pretty badly. I don't think outdoors is a good idea today. Two, we have interviews about the upcoming Hunger Games this afternoon." Mayer shot me a withering look but didn't retort. Val grabbed my hand and yanked me up out of the table. The silence was tight, uncomfortable, like trying to squeeze into a dress two sizes too small. I looked at Mayer, daring him to break the intense eye contact first. We were both competive, so this wasn't about to end anytime soon. I arched an eyebrow slightly, silently warning him I wouldn't look away first. 

Val's waving hand broke into my line of sight suddently, and I jolted back slighlty. I looked up at her to see her disgruntled expression and crossed arms. 

"Until you two can act like proper adults around eachother, Ana and I are going to go shopping and spend some girl time with one another. Kyste, you and Mayer can go do what ever guys to together until of you is ready to appologize and make up." Leaving a suprised looking pair of boys behind, she yanked me out of the hall. 

"But breakfast..." I murmered as the smell of fresh bacon drifted away. 

Hello lovelies! Sorry it's been so long--school's finally done so now I'll try updating more freqently. If you have any ideas of who should play Ana, just comment. I don't know what I was thinking when I originally cast Lily Cole as Ana...sheesh. Anywalrus, tell me what you think. I know it's a short chapter (sowry!) but I'm not really sure which direction to head in with this story, so any ideas would be AWESOME! 

tanks!