Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 1

6 months later

"So it's pretty easy. You start at District 12 then you go down, you skip 4, end up in the Capitol for some ridiculous over-the-top Capitol party and then you finish in 4 with a fancy dinner," Buck explained as they walked through the District.

"And who's coming with me on the tour?"

"Finnick and Tyler, because they were your mentors. Moxie and Tigris will come from the Capitol to help you. I'm coming as well."

"You? Why are you coming?" Taiya asked.

"Because besides your two little friends I seem to be the only one you'll talk to for more than 10 minutes," Buck sighed.

"I talk to people," she grumbled and Buck snorted. "I do!"

"You talk to Annie and Kenna. That's it, even then they do most of the talking. You've only let your cousin into your house once in the six months you've been back, poor kid rocks up every day and tries again. Plus, you've been avoiding Finnick and Tyler as much as possible. Finnick is working his ass off to try and help you. He comes to your house morning and night to cook you food and he's lucky to get two sentences out of you."

Taiya stopped and glared at him. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't lecture me about anything. That's what you said to me when Finnick forced you to come and check on me those months ago. I let you in because you swore to me you wouldn't try to force me to feel better and now you're here lecturing me about who I talk to. I can't be around Finnick and Tyler without wanting to burst into tears and scream at the same time! Being around them reminds me of being there, it reminds me of losing the first person I really became friends with! So just back off Buck!" she yelled, storming off.

As she stomped towards the entrance of Victor's Village she stopped in front of the mayor's house when she saw the mayor's wife gardening. The mayor and his wife had been desperately trying to win her approval. They weren't all that popular in District 4 yet, but the approval of the District's golden girl, the daughter of the former mayor and most recent victor would go a long way to cementing their new status amongst the citizens.

As she saw where exactly Mrs. Triton was gardening, she saw red. "What are you doing?" she snapped.

"Oh!" the woman gasped, not having noticed her approach. "Taiya dear!" she laughed, straightening her outfit. "Just a bit of gardening."

Buck caught up and placed a hand on Taiya's shoulder, hoping to calm her down, but she shrugged it off. "Do you realize where you're gardening?"

"On top of the old sunflower patch!" the woman smiled, she hadn't noticed Taiya's anger.

"Calm down," Buck whispered.

"They were my mother's sunflowers," Taiya hissed.

"Well, you should be thanking me that I pulled them out, sweetie! I'm sure your mother was a lovely woman but sunflowers, urgh, who's idea was that? Sunflowers are just awful," she laughed.

Taiya did not laugh along. She let out a roar and lunged towards the woman, only to be held back by Buck who grabbed her and lifted her off the ground as she thrashed in his arms. "They were my mothers! You dug up my mother's sunflowers! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to rip your head off!" Taiya screamed insults at the woman who just stared at her in shock.

"Don't mind her, she just really passionately loves sunflowers," Buck tried to joke to Mrs. Triton.

"I'm going to gut you like a fish!" Taiya screamed as Buck dragged her away.

"TYLER!" Buck yelled out, hoping to attract someone else's attention.

Hearing the yells, Tyler opened the door to his house to see what the commotion was about. Seeing Buck trying to drag Taiya away, he quickly ran out of his house to help. Just as Taiya flung her elbow back, aiming for Buck's face, Tyler caught it, stopping her before she could injure him.