|| 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝟔𝟒 || Finnick O'daire x Reader

Chapter One

The crowd stood in silence as they waited for a name to be called. Some were taping their feet on the dirty ground while the families watched, praying that their kids won't be the ones going this year.

On the stage, you see the past victors, and all of them were women, Mags Flanagan, Librae Ogilvy, and Muscida Selkirk. The three women just silently stared out into the crowd, waiting to see the unlucky kids they would have to train and send out into the games, most likely to their deaths.

The clicking of heels could be heard from the escort, who came to get a hooded paper from each bowl. The names of children from as young as 12 to 18 were written down in each one. A brunette woman took a paper and read out the name.

"Y/n L/n," her voice spoke, a contrast to the silence in the crowd.

You froze. No, this couldn't be happening. Not to you. Maybe you just heard it wrong out of fear? As much as you would like that, that couldn't be possible.

Y/n L/n, the District 4 female tribute of the sixty-fourth hunger game.

You take deep breaths through your nose, trying to get yourself to calm down. But even breathing seems difficult, the fear seems to have knocked the air out if your lungs.

The girls around you began looking for you, like they haven't gone to school with you. You know they are relieved that they weren't picked and you don't blame them, you really don't. It's not like you haven't been glad last year.

The peacekeepers seem to be searching for you as well, and you decide that there is no point in trying to hide. You push your way through the crowd, and the moment you give your position away, you have officially signed you death certificate.

You walk towards the stage, the capitol's recording every single movement. You bunch up your skirt from the sides, the same skirt your mother made by recycling your old one. The oversized shoes you wore seemed to make a deafening noise with each step you took, even though you knew it was because of the silence around you.

You let the peacekeepers take you to the stage, almost like you seem to have given up at that point. You take your time climbing up the small stairs almost trying to slow down time, even when you know that it would make no difference.

Near the top, the escort, lesliuan, takes your hand to help you up. As much as you wish you didn't take it, you let her lead you towards the front of the girl's bowl. You look towards the entirety district four, and then your eyes move towards your family, and you wish you hadn't.

Your father, the man who stood tall, the one you looked up to, looked weak, grieving. Like he had already accepted your death. The man who almost never cried was crying.
You can only recall him crying once before, when you were three, during your sister's, Peruse's birth, but those were happy tears. The man right now was grieving the loss of his oldest daughter.

Next to your father was your mother. Her hand was covering her mouth, trying to stop herself from sobbing. She moved her head towards you father, hiding her face in his shoulder.
They really were perfect for each other. Your father was all rough edges but your mother was soft, it always surprised you to know that it was the opposite when your parents were teenagers. Its a shame you won't be able to experience that.

Your sister was the worst to look at. Peruse looked confused, but at the same time, she knew what was coming. She obviously knew, she was 11. You realized that you won't be able to see her grow up, help her with her homework, or even just fight over something stupid again, and that hurts.

"Finnick Odair!" You we're suddenly pulled out of your thoughts when Lesliuan yelled out the boys name. Finnick, you recognized him, he was only a few months younger, 14 as well. His brother, Jonane, was one of your sister's friends, which meant both of you were often stuck on babysitting duty when your siblings were younger. But apart from that and the occasional classes at school, you guys didn't talk much.
You would have been glad that if he was older, to protect you, but instead, you were the one who would need to help him, and if  you both were left, he would kill you without any hesitation.

Finnick comes up to the stage a lot quicker than you did. His expression was unreadable, you couldn't tell if he was as terrified as you. You both stare at each other, almost having a conversation without words, understanding eachother. You both were somewhat friends, there's no reason to be enemies.

You look away and listen to Lesliuan as she finishes the same speech, "May the odds be in your favor," You look at the crowd, this is probably the last time you'll see them, "Happy Hunger Games."

---

Hi readers (assuming I have any lmao)

I just wanna say, this is book 1 of a few more books, and that the epigraph doesn't mean anything as to what she looks like, its really just her aesthetic.

The reader isn't exactly skinny or has any race but there will be parts where she'll be mentioned as tan or chubby but just ignore that because I like to project on to Y/n. (sobs)

Also I'm literally failing english, and it isn't my first language so sorry if I make any mistakes.

Anyways!!! I hope your excited because Im finally motivated to write lmao.

- Hermi