"Are you ready to begin the reaping?" President Paylor asks in her posh voice.
Peeta and I nod with worry. First time being head gamemaker means first time hosting the reaping. How exciting.
I remember this day last year. Picking out Serena's name gave me the shivers. Poor Sandy. She was beyond frightened and now she's gone. Put in a hole five feet underground. Never to be seen alive and happy ever again, happily in heaven with the remains of Ryder.
''Ready as we'll ever be, I guess,'' Peeta shrugs.
"Wonderful," she says with a smile, "Start when you're ready, my dears."
Peeta gives me an encouraging smile before clearing his throat to begin his introduction to the reaping that we rehearsed, "Hello citizens of Panem and a special hello to the citizens of the Capitol. Katniss and I are here today to give our speeches about this year's Capitol Games and to introduce our new tributes."
He passes the microphone to me and I continue, "Last year was great fun and this year will be even better because Peeta and I will be head gamemakers, making sure that this year's games will be the best out of the twelve. We will be saying goodbye to District 1 and hello to District 2 as we venture there for our second annual Capitol Games."
"This will be a new experience for us and our brand new tributes. It will be an experience like none before and we hope that for you guys watching at home, it will be the best experience ever. On behalf of both Katniss and I, I can tell you that we are very excited to be hosting this year's games, right Katniss?" Peeta says into the microphone.
I can barely say it, "Yes."
"Let the reapings begin!" Peeta announces in his best impression of a cheery voice.
Mentor by mentor, they all go up and pick one boy and one girl. I can't remember all of the tributes, but there are a few who catch my eye. Of course, Serena is picked because she is obliged to participate this year. There is a beautiful girl with short brown hair and these glowing green eyes. There are a few boys who look extremely handsome and another few who look extremely strong. There are a few large ones and a few small ones, as usual.
Jolde, last year's winner, and the mentor that is replacing Peeta and I, reaches into the round reaping bowl, "Atlas Cronin!" A large boy comes up to the stage and gives a wave and a grunt.
Jolde rolls his eyes and sticks his hand into the girls' reaping bowl, "Loelle Fielders."
I choke on absolutely nothing. Loelle Fielders? She's the girl who died forty years ago and was foul played by a girl in The Capitol Games last year named Althea Ivory. Althea died in the arena and I tried to find everything I could about her, All I got is that she came from District 5.
As Peeta pats my back because of my coughing, a girl who looks exactly like Althea comes to the stage. I cough harder, so hard that there are tears brimming my eyes. She has the same vibrant red hair and her face has the exact same features. The only difference is that Althea had green eyes and this girl has blue.
"Katniss? Do you need to go? Your coughing is becoming worst," Peeta informs me of the obvious.
I brush him off, "No."
His face becomes concerned, "Is it that tribute? She looks fimiliar doesn't she?"
"No she doesn't look fimiliar, she looks exactly like Althea Ivory," I tell him between small coughs.
"Didn't it say Althea Ivory on that napkin smeared with blood. I thought you didn't know who that was," his voice is purely confused.
"Althea Ivory is Loelle Fielders," I dead pan.
His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion, "What does that mean, Katniss?"
"Loelle was played by Althea Ivory," my coughing stops, but I am still breathing heavily.
Peeta's face is just as surprised as mines was when I first found out about the crime, "Foul play? I remember you told me about how Loelle was getting foul played last year, but I didn't quite believe you. Why would Althea do that?"
"She wasn't alive long enough for her to tell me," I say almost sadly.
Peeta's hand rubs my back, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I could've helped you. You sound really scared, Katniss. Did she threaten you?"
I breath in and out, trying to calm down, "No, not yet anyways. Now there is another girl that has the same look as her. Peeta- what is she is the real Loelle Fielders. Wait- that's not possible because the real Loelle died forty years ago." I feel the ideas in my mind that are jumbled together get even more jumbled as I think about them.
"It's best not to think about some things. Why don't you get some sleep. I'll wake you up for our speech at the end of the reaping," he puts my head on his lap and I fall asleep instantly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you gonna just lie around like that all day, or are you going to come with me to see Annie's baby?" I hear Haymitch's grumpy voice vocalize. I open my eyes and realize that I am on a bed.
I jump up and look out the window to see nothing but empty fields, "We're already on the train?"
"Been on here since two hours ago," Haymitch informs me.
"Did Peeta do the goodbye speech on his own?" I ask.
Haymitch nods and tugs me towards the door, "You have been really living underneath the rock these haven't you, sweetheart?"
We enter Annie's room, which is crowded with people trying to look at the baby. Some of the people, Annie doesn't even know. There are so many people that I can't even see Annie in her own room.
Haymitch stands on a chair, "Okay everyone! If you do not know Annie Cresta personally, then you better get out of here."
A huge mob of people walk out of the room with grim faces. I really never expected anyone to listen to Haymitch as well as these people did. Are they scared of him or something because it sure looks like it.
In the center of the room, I see an overwhelmed Annie carrying a baby, covered in a baby blue blanket. Annie's face is flushed with red as her eyes dart around to make sure there are no more random strangers. Also in the room is Johanna, Gale, Peeta, and a lady whom I don't know, but she looks awfully like Annie, so my best guess is that she is her mother.
"Thank you, Haymitch," Annie gives Haymitch a respectful nod.
"Any time, Annie," Haymitch smiles, "Now give us all a look at the baby."
All of us crowd around Annie. I'm pretty sure that we're supposed to be cooing and telling Annie how cute the baby is, but nobody speaks and I know why.
The baby looks almost identical to Finnick, feature wise. Sea green eyes, sandy hair and a strong body.The only resemblance to Annie the baby has are his red lips.
Through Annie's son, I see so much more. I see a mini Finnick Odair. I'll bet when he grows up, he'll have the same arrogant personality that his father did. Not only was Finnick arrogant, but if you knew him well enough, you'll realize that he's fun to be around too.
As I get lost in my own train of thought, I hear whimpering around me. I would think it was the baby, but instead, I see Annie's friends and close ones, lying on the floor and crying, as if the crying flu had infected all of them.
"Why are all of you crying?" I ask, "I know you guys too well to think that you'd be crying so hard just because he resembles Finnick."
Johanna gives a gasp between tears, "You didn't hear what Annie just said?"
"I was thinking of Finnick," I reply whole-heartedly.
Peeta's voice is calmer than Johanna's, "Katniss, his name is going to be Finnick."
The pain that name has caused. The pleasure the name has brought to the Capitol. We don't want to re-run that all of that do we?
Annie... of all names... why did you choose Finnick, the name of your dead husband... why?
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We have our own little Finnick Jr. How adorable.
Question: Why do you think Annie would name her son Finnick? Would you have made the same decision or would it have brought up too many bad memories?
Thanks so much for reading! Vote if you wish Finnick hadn't died!
-xxx