Finnick and Annie

Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning to Mags knocking on my door. 

"don't be late for breakfast, Calpurnia 'll get pissed and you'll be late for training."

"I'll be out in a minute." I yelled from under the covers.

I got up slowly. i put on some comfortable clothes and headed out, with Annie,s necklace around my neck, of course. Sarah was already there slouching on a chair. She had bags under her eyes like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. She gave me a smirk while rolling her eyes to Calpurnia's constant blabbering. I sat across from her on our table.  I didn't have much of an appetite but i ate anyways thinking I might not be eating anything in the next few weeks. And suddenly i realised that i was probably living in the last few weeks of my life. My heart started beating faster and my palms were sweaty. It wasn't death I was afraid of. It was all the different ways i could die a painful death in that arena and the people I would leave behind. My mother would go insane and my father would just do what i do when i get stressed, run. Get on a boat and go fishing alone for days. And my friend. Annie. I guess she might shed a tear if i died. Well, if I lost her I'm pretty sure I would cry. She was my best friend. I wanted to win, make it out of that terrible arena and back home but every time i look at Sarah  I just feel guilty. Only one makes it out and if I survived, it meant that the broken girl sitting across from me with red eyes and cracked chapped lips would have to die in that cage. I glance at Mags and it seems as though she can read my thoughts because she gives me a sympathetic look and after we get up from the table to go to training she pulls me aside to talk.

"I know what you're thinking. Only one makes it out of the arena and you're feeling guilty that by wishing to be the lone survivor you're also technically wishing for Sarah and everyone else to die."she says 

I nod and I feel the tears stinging my eyes. I quickly wipe my eyes with my hands and make myself breathe. I start counting as I walk to help myself calm down. 

As we enter the training centre i am terrified. The district 1 tributes have already teamed up with district 2 and the boy from 3 and they are throwing knives at dummies and practicing shooting arrows at targets. The girl from 1 comes over to me and Sarah. 

"hey I'm A---" she starts

"Keep walking pretty girl. We're not teaming up with your vicious little pack of ferocious wolves." interrupts Sarah.

i stare at the careers over the girl's shoulder, dumbfounded. The girl turns around and leaves with her nose in the air.

after a long day in training it's time for our evaluation. One by one we go in to be evaluated.

I enter the room, shaking, aware of what will happen if I get a low score. I decide on doing what i can do best. I stab some dummies with a trident.

As soon as i finish i run out of the room and head to the fourth floor for a quick shower. My mind starts to race. what if there is no trident. What if there is a trident and I'll have to kill those kids with my weapon. What will the arena be like. It could be anything from a frozen tundra to an abandoned wasteland. I get out of the shower with a splitting headache from all the tension. The stress and the fear is destroying me. I find the clothes i'm going to wear tonight neatly pressed and prepared on my bed. I put on the suit and my stylist and my prep team waddle into my room ready to make me look presentable. We watch the tribute scores on the monitor and i guess I did a pretty good job because they scored me a 10.

I'm waiting back stage to go on stage for my interview with Caesar. His voice  ringing through the building along with the applause of the thousands of people in the audience. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. Not because of the stage fright. I couldn't care less about those people sitting out there. What scared me was that with every second i was getting closer to being lifted into that arena. Closer to running to wards the cornucopia. Closer to my death or at least my defeat because even if I do  actually end up winning, I'll still be responsible for the deaths of children. My train of thought is disturbed as i hear Caesar voicing my name into the microphone.

Annie P.O.V

"A round of applause for the golden boy, Finnick Odair." yelled Caesar into the microphone.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheering. This made me feel better about the odds of Finnick leaving the arena alive and not just a lifeless body being lifted into a hover craft by a metal claw.

"How are you feeling, Finnick?" asked Caesar

"Well, I'm pretty good considering the fact that there is a huge chance that i die within the next few weeks." He answers smirking and the crowd lets out a forced laugh.

The interview kept going on like this with Finnick throwing smart-ass comments at a slightly annoyed Caesar Flickerman. 

"So tell us," began Caesar, " Who gave you that wonderful necklace. I'm assuming it's your district token."

"Yeah, it is. My friend, Annie, she gave it to me. She's really talented at this sort of thing."he answers and I blush.

Then the buzzer sounds and it's the girl from district 5 sitting in the chair Finnick previously occupied