Chapter 1
Cold. That was the first thing I felt when I woke up, and hard rock underneath me.
I shivered. The hairs on my bare arms raised up, I could feel the goosebumps forming. I must be dying. But i could feel my arms, I'm sure those mutts nearly broke them. I curled my fist, I could feel every touch. My arms and hands were perfectly normal.
I opened my eyes, expecting to see either the room that I was last in, my fellow rebels, or a firing squad in front of me. After all maybe I'd been captured by those who still supported President Snow, that man is pure evil.
I slowly opened my eyes and I jumped up in shock. I was lying on a pavement next to a road. Cars went flying by, not many people in district 4 have cars, and even then they looked nothing like this. I had only ever seen cars in the capitol.
People walked by me, they looked weird. They wore odd shoes, with fancy coats and jewellary. Nothing like what Effie Trinket used to wear, a lot more subtle, but still weird.
I looked around, surveying my surroundings. Where was I? I had never seen this place before. I turned around, I had been lying slumped against a stone wall. I walked around it, only to see a line of shops. Not like the shops at home, these shops had mannequins in the windows. I had to be in the capitol.
How i got to the capitol I had no idea. This must obviously be what the capitol think of as a run down area, almost a place for the "poor residents" of the capitol. The people that walked by don't look poor, in fact they would look rich back home.
I felt my heart beat faster, and sweat run down my face. How did i get here? Someone must have saved me. I stood still, waiting for someone to emerge. Hopefully someone would tell me the story behind this.
No one did tell me the story though. I watched people come and go, I never left this spot. I was too scared. What if i was meant to stay here? The sky darkened and only then did i realize I was hungry. My hunger blocked out the cold air and all i could think of was food. What wouldn't i give right now for some of the capitals delicious steak?
I sat down, shaking. The few people who still walked around the shops looked at me with pity in their eyes. A woman and her friend even dropped me some money. I didn't understand. They had money to spare? Residents of the capital would give their money to me?
I was surprised no one had recognized me yet, I was Finnick odair! I am the youngest person ever to win the annual hunger games! I am one of the many faces of the rebellion, why haven't peacekeepers came to take me away yet?
The sky turned black overhead and I didn't care about myself anymore. There were more important matters at hand. I had to get a message to Katniss, I had to get messages back to district 13. Coin would get me out of here. I don't trust the woman but she's my best bet right now.
What of my wife? What of Annie? Does she know I'm missing? I don't think she could know, unless Katniss somehow got the message out.
A smile lights up my face as I think of our wedding. It wasn't fancy, we were still in the middle of the rebellion but it seemed the appropriate time to have it. We didn't know how long we had together. Peeta made the icing on our cake, sea shells and fish. To represent district 4. I remember Katniss telling Annie how beautiful it was.
"That's beautiful. Who baked it?" She asked.
Annie's hand was in mine and she smiled as she spoke the words.
"Peeta did. Its really gave him a big boost in confidence, I think he's starting to realize who he is once again. I'm just sorry he couldn't be here to see how wonderful it looks in this room."
"Me too. Annie you look stunning, congratulations to the pair of you."
Katniss wasn't lying when she said Annie looked stunning, she was absolutely radiant. Her medium length red hair was curled and hang lose, her piercing green eyes never left mine. She didn't have an overly fancy dress, but she didn't need one to look amazing. As they say, sometimes little is a lot.
I miss her. Especially at nights, all I can think of is the nights we spent together in each others arms, fighting off Annie's nightmares together.
Annie Cresta, the mad girl from district 4. They just don't understand. The things she saw in her games, they hurt her. They still haunt her all these years later, but she's a lot better. Her confidence grows every day and she isn't scared anymore. Its just the nightmares she has to tackle now.
We've been away from district 13 for maybe a week now. I hope she's handling nighttime well. Johanna will look our for her though, she promised me she would and Johanna would never break a promise to me.
People judge Johanna too harshly. She's been hurt too many times, and so she just doesn't show her real affection towards people. I remember in the quarter quell how she screamed insults at President Snow. Katniss, Peeta and Beetee all looked at her in shock. I didn't though, I already knew.
" What? They can't hurt me. There's nobody left that I love."
The capitol took it's most desirable victors and forced them to have sex with people from the capitol who were willing to pay the game makers. This was a huge part of how they paid for arenas, of course President Snow wouldn't want to waste his money.
I had to go through with it, ai had no one except Mags and Annie. Mags was like a mother to me, mines had died giving birth to me and my father couldn't take it. He left me with a neighbor and then at the age of 14 i was reaped.
Mags was my mentor, she helped me. I believe she is the sole reason I made it out of that arena alive, afterwards she treated me like a son of her own. She had her own family and they welcomed me with open arms.
They threatened to kill her, an old defenseless lady and Annie. I had no choice. Johanna was stronger, she didn't believe their threats. But their threats spoke the truth, within a few weeks Johanna's siblings along with their children, were slaughtered.
Ever since Johanna has defied the capital and can you blame her?
When the sky turns pitch black I decide its best to get some sleep. I don't want to, I feel unprotected without my trident but I haven't got a choice. I need to sleep, take my mind off my thirst, hunger and longing for Annie. Maybe tomorrow all of this will make sense, and I'll be right back to the rebellion. Or I could be in the clutches of President Snow and being tortured, like what they did to Peeta.
I close my eyes and will those thoughts away from my head. When I wake in the morning I must think like I did in the games, where will I find food?
I'd been up a couple of hours, starving when a woman who looked about 18 bent down and started talking to me.
"You look like you need this." She said, and she placed a burger into my hand.
"Thank you." I said, smiling.
She sat with me while I ate and when i was finished she passed me a bottle full of fresh cold water. I couldn't thank her enough, for someone to show me such kindness in the capitol was astonishing.
" My names Clara. Can i know yours?"
She had caramel eyes that went with her tanned skin, her hair was a dark shade of brown.
" Finnick Odair. "
The smile from her face dropped. Had she heard of me? Was she going to turn me in now? I hadn't even thought of the consequences of telling her my name.
" I take it you've heard of me? Famous victor and all?"
She shook her head though the look on her face said she was lying. She stared at me intently now, as if she was scared my face would vanish.
" Nope, never heard of you. What's a victor? Its just an unusual name that's all, I'm sorry if i offended you."
This took me by surprise. A citizen of the capitol doesn't know what a victor is? She must be lying, she must watch the hunger games every year.
I laughed. " How can you not know what a victor is? I thought everyone in the capitol watched the hunger games. "
She flinched at the last sentence, especially the finals words.
" This isn't the capitol. Where is that? This is Edinburgh, Scotland. Do you need help?"
I was in hysterics now, she must be lying. I had never heard of this Scotland she spoke about.
" I need to get to district 13. In Panem, where we are now, just at the wrong side of the country."
She shook her head.
" There is no Panem, there never has been and never will be. Your in Edinburgh. Please don't hurt yourself like this."
She was the worst liar ever. I just laughed, and i let the subject drop. I was fully expecting an army of men to arrive with guns to take me to President Snow but none ever came. Clara sat with me for maybe 40 minutes, mostly in silence but we did talk a little. I knew more about her now, she was 19 years old, she lived in a flat by herself and attended a university.
" What's a university?" I asked her.
She looked surprised at this, but none the less she answered anyway.
" It's like school, and it helps you further your education to get a good job. I attend it three days a week and the other two days i work at a clothing shop. Where I'm meant to be the now, but I'm on my lunch break. I spend my weekends studying."
" Where is the shop you work in?"
" It's about a ten minute walk away from here, speaking of which I have to go now. My lunch break finishes soon. "
My heart dropped when she said this. I needed the company, I felt like I was going mad sitting here by myself. I now see how Annie felt a long time ago, before we came into each others lives.
" Will you come back later?" I asked her.
It seemed I asked all the questions and she answered them.
" I can't tonight, I can come tomorrow though on my lunch break. I'll bring you more food, you must be starving."
" Thank you again for the food and water, but why give it to me?"
By now she was pulling her jacket on and lifted her bag over her shoulder. She passed me down another bottle of water and a chocolate bar. I took both gratefully.
" You needed the help, and who was I to deny you it?"
We smiled at each other as she walked away. No doubt was she a strange girl. But was she telling the truth? I had never heard of Scotland, or Edinburgh for that matter. I had never been outside of Panem, I didn't even know what lay beyond the fences of Panem.
I stayed on guard for the rest of the day, watching for any signs of home. Hoping maybe a woman dressed like Effie Trinket might pass and confirm my best hopes. Or a message might project onto one of the plaza screens and President Snow may appear telling news of the rebellion? I could only hope.
Nothing happened. No one came and no news was told. For a while I got up and walked around, shivering now that the sun had disappeared. A clock in a shop window told me it was nearly five. I walked down the streets where the shops were, I walked by them and into what seemed like a public park.
When I returned back to the area I had woken up on a few days ago it was dark and my stomach began to growl again. I decided sleep would take my mind off it all. My heart ached for Annie more than anything, and I couldn't have her.