Sugarcubes // Finnick Odair - Hunger Games Fanfic

III.

I hug Terry, telling him to take care of them.

And then they both go outside to.

Johanna comes in.

"Anna!" I say, greeting the thirteen-year-old with a hug and a kiss on the head.

"Thank you, Ria."

"You're my Anna aren't you? I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I tell her. And it's true. I would.

And then I watch her go as well, clutching the stupid little locket in my hand as though it's all I have. And it is. It's all I have to remind me of this district and who I love. I'm not letting it go.

After our meet and greets, we are taken to the train that will take us to the capitol. The train is even more luxurious that the room that I was in – everything covered in leaves and wood and everything district 7. But that just made me hate it even more. The fact that it was so luxurious made me feel uncomfortable, added to the fact that everywhere I looked reminded me of the district that I so hated.

I hated it because it reminded me of my father. The guy who thought rebellion was more important than his three children. It reminded me of my mom who was too young when she died. My brother, who was unlucky enough to contract a disease that can't be cured and of all the doctors who robbed my money. The poverty and the pain and the struggle is the only thing district 7 represents for me. But it is the district I'm from nonetheless.

I walk into the dining room where Rosaline and Austin and our mentors for this year are already seated. I'm late to the unspoken meeting to which I received no invite.

"Ah! Kendria! Wonderful! Now we can start lunch." Rosalie stated, jumping up and seating me in a chair. She makes an extra effort to pronounce my name right after this morning's events, even though I can tell "Kendra" comes more naturally to her capitol-born tongue. I hate the way that she looks. She tries too hard and speaks too much in favor of the capitol for me to be able to like her. She has a huge wig that looks like birds had made a nest in it and wears an ugly green dress with log like sleeves. Her heels are a dazzling yellow that don't go with anything. It's clear that she put in effort to get dressed and it's clear that it was wasted, just like any year before this. I sit down and stare at the lavish dishes in front of me, unable to decide what to eat.

Blight is so clearly drunk I can smell it all the way across the table. He makes no effort to hide it, instead pouring more alcohol into his cup and chugging it down all while staring me in the eye. I cannot comprehend how this man raised a kindhearted wonderful Terry. But I know that Terry has been neglected all his life. I know his life has been nothing but easy, longing for human contact that his dad was incapable of giving him. Too busy drowning in a God damn beer bottle. Eero seemed to be in much better condition than Blight, despite her age. She propped herself up with perfect posture and sipped at her teacup with her pinky sticking out like a pretty princess that was too perfect to touch. The silence at the room was too unbearable, so I made myself squeeze out the next few words.

"What's the plan? How am I going to stay alive? Because I want-I need to get home." I say, glaring at both my mentors who couldn't seem the least bit interested. What the hell? How am I supposed to win if my life is in the hands of these two? I can feel myself getting angry again: not a good sign, but I can't control my temper. They are supposed to help me get back to my family. They will help me. I pick up a table knife and chuck it at Blights head with as much force as possible. He ducks in the nick of time, and the knife skewers the wall behind him.

"Young lady! Mind your manners!" Rosalie shrieks, getting up from the table and attempting to pry the knife out from the wall. She is unsuccessful, seeing as I doubt the capitol lifestyle has given her enough strength to pry a knife buried two inches into solid wall out.

"I said, what's the fucking plan?" I repeat in a low growl, leaning forward towards the table.

I don't get a reaction from either of them. The room is silent, except for the clanking of cutlery coming from Blight who resumed eating and the small slurping sounds from Eero who's still sipping on the goddamn tea. I fucking hate them all. I get up from the table harshly, making sure to topple all my silverware off of it, slam my napkin on the table and walk away, only stopping to pull the knife from the wall and slam it into the table in front of Eero, shattering her plate into a million pieces. Rosaline shrieks again, and shards of glass scratch my hand, but I am numb with rage. I give a deadly look at Austin, who looks dumbfounded and walk away, storming into my room.

And then I sit and cry.

Cry at the unfair things in the world.

Cry for my brother and my mother.

Cry for myself and the decreasing odds that I will make it out.

I sit and sob. Because it's only now hitting me.

I'm part of the Hunger Games.

Published: 7th September 2022