Doses Of Reality

Chapter 1

Finnick's POV

As I'm sitting on the beach, I think about my years as a mentor. Telling random kids to go out there, fight to the death and try to get themselves killed. The kids from District 4, are not ready for the challenges in that arena. I remember maybe one victor that I mentored. Lately, I haven't been able to keep the games off my mind.

I love sitting in the sand. Grabbing it in my fists and slowly letting it seep through my fingers. The cool feeling of the waves that lightly hit my feet. The sound of the water. The pitter patter when it rains, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

"Finnick! Klara's here!" My mom yells to me opening our back door. I wonder what Klara is doing here. Probably to check on me and see if I have grown, so that she can tell my stylist what alterations to make.

I shake off my shirt and put it on. I walk inside to find Klara in her usual colorful clothes. A turquoise wig, bright pink lips and dress and her shoes are shaped like butterflies.

"Oh! There's my boy! Oh! I forgot how muscular you are!" She says and I prepare for a hug, but she gives me air kisses instead.

"I'm afraid I come baring horrid news. As you know, this year is the third Quarter Quell, a very special kind of games that only happen every twenty five years. And this year.....the tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors." She says the last part quickly. Like ripping off a bandaid. Only this is a cut I never wanted to see again.

"No. No! You're lying to me! You just want to scare me! I..I can't go back there! You don't get it I just...I can't!" I run out the door. Not knowing or thinking about where I was going. Just that I need to leave. Get away from the sand, the water. Away from District 4. But, something stopped me. I am the only living male victor from District 4.

I turn back. Walking slowly. To delay time. Delay my goodbyes. I guess I'm in denial. Who wouldn't be?

I find my mom sitting on the steps of our porch. Crying. I sit next to her, knowing that if I say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, she will go off. Like a ticking bomb.

"Mom, don't cry. Please." I say looking at her.

"I can't Finn. I don't want to cry, but I can't help it. It's all I have left right now." She says wiping her tears.

"Mom, mom, stop. For all it counts, at least for right now, you have me. And I love you. You are all I have left. And I don't want to leave you, lose you or even see you cry. So c'mon. Get up. We are gonna go inside, and find out more about this. We have to keep a straight face and not let anyone get to us." I help her up and come inside to see Klara with a worried and pale expression on her face.

"We have two pretty major problems." She says standing up and fixing her dress.

"First off, there are these two." She says pressing the replay button on the remote.

"Kattniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Right? They won last year. The two star crossed lovers. Well played and many sponsors. But they are fresh blood. Naive and don't know what they're up against. So, yea. But not that huge of a threat." I say leaning on the couch.

"What's the real problem?" Asks my mom still sniffling a little.

Klara presses fast forward. "Her."

I turn around the feeling is back. I am going to throw up. Maybe even faint. Oh God, I am dead. I turn around to see my mom crying again. Although this time it's more of a sob. I feel like crying too. Everything is settled. I am going to die in that arena. Unless....I can make a better impression on Johanna Mason. The I unbreakable Johanna Mason. I have a lot of training to do.

Being a career tribute has never been a huge advantage in the games. I mean, sure people are scared and intimidated by you, but that's about it. District 4 doesn't really train the kids unless the parents want them too. I start reminiscing about the first time I was introduced to Johanna.

It was her first year as a mentor. She was 18. She walked into the party dripping with silver. Her dress was short in the front and long in the back. The dress was all silver sparkles and the bottom was accented with turquoise. Her shoes were turquoise pumps. Her hair was silky and dark. Pinned up by turquoise diamonds. Her shoulders and back were bare. There was a line of gems going from her shoulder to her lower back. Her lips were blood red and eyelashes silver. Her eyes were outlined in blue.

I walked up to her, which was probably not a very smart choice.

"Hi I'm Finnick Odair. But you already knew that didn't you, Johanna Mason?" I say stepping in front of her.

"Oh. Yea. You. I know you. Sadly and embarrassingly." She says with a slight eye roll.

"Ouch." I say putting my hand on my heart.

"So. I hear you're quite famous around here." She says attempting to step around me.

"Look, you're new here. I don't do talking. Or friends for that matter." I say stepping in front of her again.

"Oh. Okay. Well that's great because, I don't do people." She whispers into my ear. "That's how I won my games.

"Alright. Well..." I start saying quickly interrupted.

"If you'll excuse me Odair, I have some more important people to talk to." She says looking past me as if I'm invisible. I don't like the feeling of being unnoticed.

"Just let me tell you this Johanna Mason, you've left a mark on my heart. Once you do that there's no going back." I say inching closer to her.

"No you listen Finnick, if you don't get out of my way, I'll leave a real mark on your heart. And that won't be pretty now will it? The capitol's sweetheart killed by the most hated victor in Panem." She says walking around me.

"Hey! You owe me Johanna! Don't forget that!" I say turning around.

"No. If anything, you owe me for wasting my time." She says. She scoffs and leaves me standing there. Yea. Me and Jo have a complicated relationship.

The next day, Klara escorted me to the train. Almost all of District 4 was there to send me and Mags off. I doubt they were there for the Capitol or even just because they had nothing better to do. They were there because they felt sympathy. Something the career districts have been lacking of for a very long time.

I get on the train that I knew so well and go to the room I knew so well. Hasn't changed much. They added a small fountain to remind me of my home in District 4. But, right now, I don't need, nor want reminding. I know my mom is sitting at home probably bawling her eyes out. If only dad was here. He would be able to comfort her, to assure her that everything would be alright. He was good at that stuff. I have a weird way with words. Not a good way or a bad way. I seduce my words. I sneak them in. Kind of how my mom used to sneak in vegetables into my dinners.

I re watch my biggest competitor's games. Then go take a shower. I try to focus on the water. The water being blood. The blood of the people I coached that died and the blood of the people they killed and I killed to survive. Then I remind myself. These aren't people. They're kids. Children. The ones that you teach that killing is a sin and is bad and only evil people do. I teach them to kill. Enforce them to. We mentors are no better than the capitol.

I try not to focus on who's blood. But on what it reminds me of. Blood reminds me of Johanna. Her blood red lips. How she said the Capitol wanted to kill her. This water, this blood, this id Johanna's blood. I take it in, because soon this won't be Johanna's blood. It will be mine. Spilled by her.=