IT WAS TIME FOR THE 70TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES. The Capitol was booming. Everyone was dressed in their most festive outfits, needing to look their best while staring at a TV screen and laughing as children get brutally murdered. There was chatter everywhere about the Tributes and who they thought would win, and it was not looking great for District 4.

Both of the tributes were small. The boy was sixteen and extremely skinny, and the girl, Annie Cresta, an eighteen-year-old redhead, was too shy to seem aggressive. There had been a lot of talk about who was going to win, and none of the arguments included either of them. The only mention of District 4 was about Finnick, like usual, and how much he has grown. Getting sponsors would not be a problem with him on their side, but that was pretty much the extent of what he could do for them once they were in the arena.

Speaking of Finnick, Leia was glad that she was able to talk to him in the open. There were still stolen glances from across the room, but they could now speak to each other without raising suspicion because they were simply 'exchanging creative ideas.' He whispered flirty things in her ear, and no one was the wiser. She always had to look down to hide her blush, though.

The night before the Games, Leia was making her way to her room when she heard weeping. She looked around and realized that it was coming from behind Annie's door. She frowned before hesitantly knocking on the wood. When no one answered, she opened it and stuck her head into the room. "What's wrong, Miss Cresta?"

"Am I keeping you awake?" Annie asked, trying to wipe her tears off of her face. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, very clearly upset, and her entire body was trembling. The sight made Leia's curious eyes soften, and she shook her head quickly because she was pretty sure she knew what was happening. "I'm just so scared for tomorrow. I don't want to die."

Leia moved cautiously further into the room, and when Annie didn't stop her, she sat down on the bed next to her and placed her hand on the woman's back comfortingly. "It's going to be okay. You're going to go out there and fight as hard as you possibly can. Whatever you do, do not give up. You can win."

"But the Careers always win," Annie whimpered out. She wasn't completely wrong. Districts 1 and 2 win about 70 percent of the time, but that was not always. She had a chance if she genuinely believed that she could win. Leia knew it. There were very few times when there was absolutely no hope for someone.

"No, they don't," the Calore woman told her. She had been there for Finnick during his Games, and he did amazing because he was hopeful and smart. "You know, your Mentor, Finnick, I was there for his Games. Everyone else seemed to be bigger, faster, and stronger than him, but it didn't matter. He was smart, and he kept fighting."

The Cresta woman was still crying, but she was beginning to calm down a little bit. She looked up at Leia, and the tears in her eyes broke the woman's heart. "What if I can't?"

"But what if you can? I believe in you. Finnick believes in you," the brunette girl assured her . She was fairly tall, and she did not seem weak by any means. She just needed the mindset. She definitely had a good chance, and she was going to do the best she could to help her with sponsors.

"Thank you," the redheaded woman responded. She did not expect anyone in the Capitol to be so kind, especially someone who works in the Games. However, Finnick had made it kind of clear to her that Leia was perfect. Remembering what she had been called when Leia entered the room, she added, "And you can call me Annie."

The Calore woman nodded, and she wasn't sure if the Tribute remembered her name from when she introduced herself when they first met. She smiled and replied, "Hi, Annie. I'm Leia."

"I know. Finnick talks about you all the time," Annie informed her, and she heard a light breath at that. Leia looked up to see Finnick standing in the doorway, watching them. She was not sure how much of everything he had heard, but a grin made its way onto her face at the words.

"He does, does he?" the older woman mused, smirking up at the blonde man in the hallway, who just rolled his eyes before leaving. Leia said goodnight to Annie before leaving her in her room and heading back outside, closing the door behind her. She saw Finnick sitting on the couch, waiting for her. "Weren't you ever taught not to eavesdrop?"

He chuckled as she made her way to stand in front of him. He looked up at her and held her waist as her hands made their way to the back of his neck. He grinned up at her, so happy that she was his. She was so sympathetic and nice, and she always knew what to say. He told her, "You did good in there. You really calmed her nerves."

"Well, I've had some practice," she reminded him. She had worked in the Games for seven years by that point. She had seen Tributes come and go, and she used all of the knowledge that she had gathered to make the transition as easy as possible for them. He just shook his head and pulled her down onto the couch with him, kissing all over her face and making her laugh loudly.

《✵》

ANNIE CRESTA WAS THE VICTOR OF THE 70TH HUNGER GAMES. No one was more shocked than she was. In the arena, the girl witnessed her district partner getting decapitated, and she had a panic attack that sent her into hiding for days while the other Tributes fought. It took a day and a half for the Gamemakers to even figure out where she was.

A flood overtook the arena, and all of the other tributes suffocated or drowned. She had been in a cave on a fairly high hill, so the only thing that got wet was her feet. She was extremely lucky, and she was so freaked out and unstable when she was extracted that she couldn't even do an interview with Caesar. As soon as she arrived in the hospital, they had to sedate her.

Once she arrived back in her Tribute suite for one more night before heading home, Annie was broken. Leia spent hours holding her and soothing her while she just shook and cried. Her entire frame was trembling as she lay in the Calore woman's lap while Leia stroked her hair and whispered comforting things in her ear.

She finally fell asleep, and the older woman left as quietly as she could. She shut the door behind her and looked up to see Finnick pacing back and forth in front of her. She was surprised that he was still awake considering that it was so deep in the night. He looked up when he heard her come out, and his eyes were bloodshot and worried.

"How's she doing?" he questioned. His hair was tousled, and he was practically shaking because he was so frantic. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants, and he was scanning her face for any sign of what was happening.

Leia sighed, glancing back at the closed door like she was scared that Annie was going to hear her. The woman was sound asleep when she left, though. She was not a doctor, but you did not really need to be one to tell what the Cresta woman was going through. She informed him, "I think she has some serious post-traumatic stress."

"Don't most Victors?" he questioned. He obviously had some, but he did not know many other Victors. She had probably heard stories from other designers about how their winners were affected after the Games. It had to be a common thing considering how traumatizing the arena was.

"I've never heard of it being this bad," she answered. She knew that nightmares and flashbacks were common, but she had yet to hear of someone who was so shaken up that they did not speak afterwards. Most of them were happy to be alive. "You're definitely going to have to keep an eye on her when you get back home."

He groaned at the reminder that he had to leave her in the morning. The departure was the worst part of all of their meetings. He stepped closer to her and took her hands in his, staring down at her with a disappointed expression as she leaned back against the wall. "I don't want to go back."

"I know, but you must," she said, offering the smallest of smiles. She really did not want him to leave either. She wanted to stay right there forever, but it didn't work that way. He had to leave, and she couldn't go with him. She licked her lips and breathed out with a shrug, "You'll go, and I'll stay. And we'll see each other again."

He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers so that she was staring up at him through her eyelashes. He questioned, "Are you sure you're from the Capitol?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, a confused expression spreading across her face. That was such a random question to ask her when they both knew that she was born there, at least from what she knew.

He shrugged, and his usually flirty smirk appeared on his face once again, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes when she realized what was coming. He explained, "I just find it hard to believe that a hell like this can produce something so angelic."

"You, Finnick Odair, are a flirt," she told him, shaking her head with a laugh. A blush crept up onto her cheeks at the words, though. He always knew how to fluster her, and she loved it. It was not helping her with the fact that she was going to miss him desperately when he left.

He just shrugged innocently before leaning down to kiss her. Her hand went to the back of his neck, pulling closer as he turned them and began leading her backwards toward her bedroom. She giggled as he closed the door behind them before pulling her onto the bed.

The next morning, he awoke early in the morning and kissed her on the forehead, not wanting to disturb her angelic sleeping. When she woke up hours later, she frowned when she realized that he was not next to her. However, she was satisfied when she saw the note on her nightstand.

We had to leave early, and Annie is sorry that she didn't get to say goodbye. You just looked so perfect, I didn't want to wake you. I love you, and I'll see you soon, my darling.