The Name of the Game I Finnick Odair

The Victors

"Shall we watch the recap of the reapings?" Effie asked, dabbling at the corners of her mouth with a white linen napkin.

Peeta quickly left to retrieve his notebook on the remaining living victors and the quartet, consisting of Katniss, Peeta, Effie and Haymitch, gathered in the compartment with the television to see who their competition would be in the arena.

They were all in place as the anthem started to play and the annual recap of the reaping ceremonies in the twelve districts began.

In the history of the Hunger Games, there had been seventy-five victors. Fifty-nine were still alive. Katniss recognized many of their faces, either from seeing them as tributes or mentors at previous Games or from the recent viewing of the victors' tapes. Some were so old or wasted by illness, drugs or drinks that Katniss couldn't place them. As everyone had expected the pools of Career tributes from Districts 1, 2 and 4 were the largest. But every district had managed to scrape up at least one female and one male victor.

The reapings went by quickly. Peeta studiously put stars by the names of the chosen tributes in his notebook. Haymitch watched, his face devoid of emotion, as friends of his stepped up to take the stage.

Effie made hushed, distressed comments like "Oh, not Cecelia." or "Well, Chaff never could stay out of trouble." and sighed frequently.

For Katniss' part, she tried to make some mental record of the other tributes, but like the year prior, only a few really stuck in her head.

There were the classically beautiful brother and sister from District 1 who had been victors in consecutive years when Katniss was little. Brutus, a volunteer from District 2, who had to be at least forty and apparently couldn't wait to get back in the arena. Finnick, the handsome bronze-haired guy from District 4 who had been crowned ten years ago at the age of fourteen. An eighty-year-old woman who needed a cane to walk to the stage was called, but she was quickly replaced by Kenzie, the young woman who everyone called the 'Soft Soul'. She was mostly known for her talent at surfing. Then there was Johanna Mason, the only living female victor from 7, who won a few years back by pretending she was a weakling. The woman from 8 who Effie called Cecelia, looked about thirty and had to detach herself from the three kids who had run up to cling to her. Chaff, a man from 11 who Katniss knew to be one of Haymitch's particular friends, was also in.

Then Katniss herself was called. Then Haymitch, before Peeta volunteered. One of the announcers actually got teary because it seemed the odds would never be in their favour, the star-crossed lovers of District 12. Then she pulled herself together enough to say she bet that "these would be the best Games ever!"