Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-5-

You don't know pain until you have to watch the one person you would do anything to be with have to spend his last weeks with the people you hate the most.

Rosalie watched every clip of her brother, his entering the Capitol as he put on a charming smile for the crowd of surgically enhanced, colourfully dressed idiots. His parade, wearing a pair of beige dungarees with no shirt underneath, his eyes lined with subtle yellow eyeliner to match. Lily's outfit was the same but with a skirted dungaree and white tube top. He scored a 6, not good not bad, an average score. He wouldn't be targeted from the start for that kind of score but he also wouldn't get very grand sponsors. He's a good lucking guy, the May family all were, so that might help. He had the same dark hair and skin as his sister though they differed in eye colour. He had their fathers dark brown eyes, Rose has her mothers' hazel eyes.

Then his interview, which brought tears to Rosalie's eyes. 'Who's waiting for you back home then?' Caesar had asked. 'Any lucky girls.'

He had laughed before responding, 'no, no. I'm afraid not, Caesar. It's just me, my sister and our friends.' Caesar encourages him on. 'There's my best mate, Ralph, he's a good guy. Then there's Apollo and Luna. And my sister, Rose.'

'Tell us about this sister?' The crowd were enticed by that, hearing about loved ones, especially siblings, always melted the Capitol's stone cold hearts.

'Her name is Rosalie and, uh, she's the best... y'know. We look out for each other, we've always been close, and it's pretty much always just been the two of us. She's funny, naturally, sarcastic too. She's always smiling, always making everyone laugh, always putting others before herself, I don't know what I'd do without her on bad days. I fear what'll happen to my happy little sister if I don't come home.'

Despite the last part being for his survival sake, to try get sympathy sponsors, his words were true, every last one.

The biggest threats were the Careers, including Finnick Odair from District 4 who was very handsome and would most definitely get lots of sponsors.

And, just like that, it all began. One minute she is sat in bed staring anxiously at the ceiling, the next she is stood in the square with a large group of District 11. Apollo had his arm wrapped around her shoulder to comfort her, her hand clasped in Luna's, Ralph stood behind her with his arms crossed.

Time slowed down as the tributes stood waiting for the counter to run out.

The arena was built like an island. It was a tropical arena completely surrounded by water, the Cornucopia was in the centre.

3.

Three seconds before the games began a large wall surrounded the tributes, closing in on the Cornucopia, forcing them all to enter the bloodbath.

2.

You could see the worry etched on all the Tributes faces apart from the Careers, who had smug expressions.

1.

All Tributes ran to the centre, towards the Cornucopia, then the wall sunk back down into the ground. Some tributes noticed and turned to run backwards. Sadly, both Lily and Brook did not notice. They weren't observant enough. They weren't aware enough. They fell for the Capitol's plan.

Lily reached down for a bag and, preoccupied, took a knife to her left shoulder and another to her right thigh. She started to limp away, grabbing her own knife out the bag and throwing it at her attacker blindly. It missed but distracted them long enough for her to get a head start, not for long enough, though. In a short hurry of moments she fell to the floor choking on blood as her life was ended.

Brook, being a quick runner, made it to the Cornucopia and grabbed a sword. Someone went to stab him and he slashed then across the chest ending their life without a second thought. As he went to make an escape, he took an arrow straight though the chest, in the heart. Instant death.

Rosalie felt her heart drop, a sob escaped her mouth as her big brothers blood spills from his chest, as his eyes turned lifeless and his breaths stopped.

Ralph caught her from behind and wrapped his arms around her before she fell to the ground as Apollo held his little sister in a hug. People passed, offering sympathies for their loss as they made their way back to work. Friends and family of the recently deceased got one day off work.

The games lasted for a couple of days, real time, and just over a week to the Tributes.

Finnick Odair, aged 14, won. He initially collected spears and knives from the Cornucopia but was later given a trident from a sponsor. It was expensive and therefore an unusual gift but not unexpected due to Finnick's good lucks and fighting skills. He was able to create nets out of vines and used them to catch the other tributes so he could spear them with his trident.

AN: I did make a few additions/alterations to the games