The 65th Hunger Games - EDITING

Chapter two

I feel someone gently pushing me towards the stage. The only thing I want to do right now is run away, or even simply to turn around and tell the boy to stop. But I can't do either of those things. He's probably happy he wasn't the chosen one. I would've been too, if it wasn't my name that just got called. A peacekeeper grabs my arm and brings me on stage. I stand there, side by side with the mayor's daughter, as we both wait for someone to take out place. But no one moves. Not this year.

"May I present to you, this year's district four's tributes: Viviana Cerne and Finnick Odair!"

Ionel is clapping, apparently really excited. I look for my parents in the crowd. I finally find them, only to understand that just like me, their hopes for my survival are pretty low. I can't let them down. I need to do something. I look at the camera and smile. I slowly lift my arm and wave goodbye to my district as I'm taken away. As soon as no camera can see me, my smile fades away from my face. Show's over, for now. Once inside, Viviana and I are separated into two different rooms so we can say our final goodbyes. When my mother enters the room, I run towards her. She hugs me so tight I start thinking that I won't even make it to the Capitol alive. After a few minutes, she breaks up the hug. She looks at me, tears flooding down her face.

"My sweet boy" is all she can say before sadness takes away her voice.

Five minutes later, a peacekeeper enters the room and takes her away as she screams and reaches for my hand. She is quickly replaced by my father. This time, I don't run, I wait for him to come to me. I feel so small beside him. I've always been part of the tall kids, but compared to him, I feel like a small, weak, defenseless child.

"Finnick, you can't appear as weak. You need to be strong. You... You..."

My father tries to continue his speech, but I know he's about to cry. I've never seen him cry, not when he broke his leg, not when someone says something mean to him, not even when my brother drowned. I know he did cry when we lost my brother, I remember seeing his red puffy eyes the morning after the funerals, but he never did it in front of me and probably never did it in front of my mother. He starts talking again and I know he has a lot of things to say.

"You're strong. You're smart. You can make it, I know it and your mother does too. We believe in you. Once you're in the arena, use your brain, outsmart the others. You're handsome, use that as an advantage, find sponsors. We love you Finnick, more than you'll ever know."

Again, his voice breaks. Instead of continuing to talk, he hugs me. He rarely does, I hardly remember the last time he did. I feel a tear falling on my head. I don't bother to look up. I don't want him crying to be my last image I have of my father.

"Stay strong dad. Do it for mom."

I don't recognize my voice. It seems so strange. It seems so... grown up. I know I didn't have to tell him, that he was going to do it anyway. He always has and always will. Again, a peacekeeper enters the room and tells my father to leave. He hugs me tighter before releasing me.

"Win those games, but don't let them win you." He adds while the capitol's soldier start walking towards him, a threatening look on his face.

The peacekeeper drags him out of the room as my next visitor enters; it's my best friend, Cyprian. We grew up together, he lives three houses down from mine. He is two years older than me, but we've always gotten along. I remember when we were not old enough to go to school, we would play all day long on the beach, chasing small fishes in the water, running in the waves. He has four younger siblings and he had to sign up for tessera ever since he was twelve. But it's not important, because I'm the one who's leaving. He stands in front of me in silence. We both don't know what to say, what to do. Finally, after a few minutes, some words come out of his mouth.

"This is not our final goodbyes Finn. You'll come back, I know it. You're strong."

"Yeah, if you say so. Wish me luck I guess."

"Come on Finnick. You don't need luck. Just... come back. Stay alive."

"May the odds ever be in my favor" I reply, with a fake smile on my face.

"May the odds ever be in your favor" he replies with the same fake, but encouraging smile, along with his best impersonation of the capitol's stupid accent.

We shake hands and he leaves the room before the peacekeeper has to say anything. To my surprise, a fourth visitor comes into the room. The mayor, Viviana's father, the father of the girl I may have to kill. Just as usual, his eyes are cold and empty of emotions, but just for a moment, not even a second, sadness overpowers him before he goes back to his usual state.

"Listen kid, you don't deserve this. Neither does my daughter. Neither does any kid that is sent into the arena. The next few weeks are going to be hard for you and every other tributes. I know that once in the arena, you're going to want to kill my daughter, just like she's going to want to kill you. But please, take care of her before the Games. I'm pleading you."

"The Games have already started sir." I answer in a small but angry voice.

"You're right. Just make sure she can make it through the next few days."

He looks at me, waiting for an answer. A slight nod is all he needed from me. He hugs me. It feels weird. We both know I may be the one who is going to kill is daughter or that she might be the one who is going to kill me. The peacekeeper enters the room one last time and makes the mayor exit. Once the mayor is out of sight, he makes me follow him to the train station. There, one of the Capitol's train is waiting for us. Inside, everything seems new and expensive. Ionel is sitting at the table with some of the previous victors, one of them is going to be my mentor. Apart from our escort, no one is laughing. The peacekeeper leads me to my room where I'm expected to take a shower and get changed. He leaves, closing the door behind him. The train slowly starts moving and I watch my district get smaller and smaller until the horizon swallows it whole and I can no longer see the ocean. I turn around and enter the bathroom, trying to push away all the memories from the home I just left, from the home I'll never see again.