Enchanted; A Finnick and Annie Fanfic ♥ (Currently Revising/Editing)

Chapter 9: It's Cruel

It was time again for the reaping for the Hunger Games. Only 3 more to live through.

After getting ready, I made my way to the square. My mom decided she was just going to stay with my dad and watch from our house. So I went by myself. I stood with all the other girls my age and waited for the mayor to finish reading the Treaty of Treason.

Kiku, District 4's escort from the Capitol, came up to the microphone, and after saying a few words about how excited she was, she said, "Ladies first!" and went to pull a name out of the bowl of girls' names.

There were thousands of girls in District 4. Most of them had their names in the reaping several times. But that didn't stop the escort from reading off the name. "Annie Cresta."

I couldn't even move at first. This wasn't real. This wasn't happening. It took someone next to me shoving me to snap me out of it and make me slowly drag my feet up to the stage.

Finnick ran through the crowd, screaming, and nearly got to me before a Peacekeeper pulled him back.

Kiku went and picked a name out of the boy's bowl. "Vincent Eden."

I knew him. He was the same age as me. He liked to go by Vince. He didn't have many friends and was very quiet. But he was smart.

Vince and I shook hands and were shuffled into the Justice Building. I was sent into a room like te one Finnick was in years ago.

After a couple of minutes, Finnick came rushing in and hugged me tightly.

"I'm scared, Finnick." I started crying, sobbing even. I can't do this. I won't survive.

"Don't be, Annie. I swear I'll get you out of there. You'll come home. I'll do whatever it takes to get you home."

"Like sleeping with the Capitol women?"

"If that's what I have to do."

We held each other like we never would again, even though he was going to be my mentor. Until the Peacekeeper took him away and Kiku came to lead Vince and I to the train that would take us to the Capitol.

Once we were there, Kiku led me inside, but Vince insisted on talking to Finnick first. Mags, who was Finnick's mentor, was on the train as well. She hugged me tight and sat with me until Finnick came onto the train.

Finnick's POV

I ran as soon as I could to the train station. Annie was probably still crying, and even though Mags could handle her, having a woman from the Capitol around didn't make feel good about leaving Annie alone. When I got to the train station, Vincent, the male tribute, was standing outside.

"Hey, Vincent," I said. I was out of breath and really just wanted to get inside to Annie.

"It's Vince. I--I go by Vince," he corrected. "Could I talk to you a minute?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I have to mentor him too. "Vince. Sure, what's up?"

"Look..." He twisted his thumbs and looked at the ground. Like he wasn't confident in what he was saying. "I don't have any reason to live. Nobody came to say goodbye to me, not even my parents. I don't care about living anymore. But...I see how happy you and Annie are. How in love you two are. And...I want to help you get her home. I know you probably plan on doing everything you can to protect her--"

"I do."

"Right. But you can't be with her in the arena, and I can. I can look after her, make sure nobody kills her. Until they kill me, at least."

I waited to speak until he looked up at me. "You would do that for us?"

"Yeah. Even though I don't have anything to live for, she does. You two are happy, and this shouldn't tear you two apart. It's cruel."

"I--I can't even...thank you, man. You don't even realize how much this means to me."

He hugged me. And then he asked what I wanted him to do to protect her.

"Find a weapon in training that you're good with. Then in the arena, just run after her. I'm gonna tell her to just hide. But don't try and get a weapon from the Cornucopia. I'll get it for you."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, I can get you anything. Trust me."

Then Vince and I went inside the train. I held Annie on my lap, and thought to myself that she might actually have a chance for survival. Unless of course, this was all the Capitol's doing because she'd stood up for me.

And it was.