Against All Odds (Finnick Odair love story) (1)

Chapter 33

Finnick's POV
I follow the peacekeeper through the lower class part of the district. Of course I had been here I've had friends from the slums. But imagining Kara here is hard. You can tell the Valentine is getting nervous. There's a reason the peacekeepers base is next to the slums. Crime tends to be higher here than other parts.
"How do you know the Mathis Family?" Valentine asks the peacekeeper showing us the way.
"Your victors father has to be escorted home from the tavern or is passed out in the streets." He says simply. Valentine and I share a look.
"What will we do if he doesn't cooperate?" I ask the peacekeeper.
"He doesn't have a choice or I'll search his house and I have no doubt in my mind that I will find something there and arrest him for possession of illegal drugs and anti Capitol propaganda. Not to mention most likely owning a illegal weapon." The older man tells us.
"You allow a child to stay with him knowing the environment she lived in." Valentine says appalled.
"She wasn't hurt so why does it matter? Plus no one cares about a little girl until she's important. Her winning makes her important." He scoffs.
I want to argue that she did matter but he is right. The Capitol doesn't care for the districts. The only reason I managed to get a peacekeeper to help me is because I am a victor. Otherwise they would have laughed in my face.
We approach a tiny shack looking like it was about to fall apart. The peacekeeper bangs on the door loudly.
"Joshua open up!" The Peacekeeper booms.
There is a long silence before the door creaks open. I see a man in his mid 40's open the door. I see no resemblance to Kara. He looks just like Nadia like Kara told me. He looks broken down. Not unattractive just slightly overweight from the alcohol he consumes undoubtably on a day to day basis. His face covered in stress marks. He's in the uniform the fisherman wear his whole body reeking of whiskey.
"What the hell are you doing here Tidus?" The mans gruff voice breaks the silence.
"I'm here with Finnick Odair to get your daughters things." He speaks sounding almost bored.
"I didn't even know she was home." He nearly sneered at us.
"She arrived today you would have known that if you cared." I say harshly.
"Ha pretty boy here thinks he's cute defending Karaline's honor." The man scoffs walking back into the house.
"Come in pretty boys. What did my daughter do to get you wrapped around her little fingers huh?" He asks collapsing into a broken down chair. We step into the small house. Bottles of whiskey scattered across the floor.
We don't answer him as we look around for Kara's things.
"Bet she batted those blue eyes of hers and no one stood a chance. That's how her mother roped me in."He scoffs.
Pointing to the small cot across the room.
"That's where the bratt sleeps." He says taking a swing of his bottle.
We approach Kara's tiny bed. It was more like a thin board of wood with a thin foam "mattress" covering it. There is a thick obviously home made blanket. It's all folded neatly on the bed. Her school bag leaning against the wall a makeshift bookshelf against the wall of her corner of the room. I take the blanket and shove it in the girls bag. Valentine starts taking her books and piling them into the bag.
"When you see my daughter again tell her not to forget her good old dad. Tell her not to be selfish with that sweet sweet pay the Capitol is giving her." The man tells us aloud as my hands tremble.
"She owes you absolutely nothing." Valentine tells him harshly.
"I'm the reason she's alive. I fed and clothed her ungrateful ass for years. I didn't even want a second kid." He says coldly trying to get a rise from us. I kick an empty bottle and filthy clothes from the floor so I can kneel next to her bed and feel for the wooden box. I grit my teeth listening to his words. I find the box pulling it out. It was a pretty big box but not really heavy.
"You know how they say an apple doesn't fall far from the tree? That perfectly describes Kara doesn't it? Her mother was no good making Kara a rotten apple."He says aloud chugging more of the liquid.
"I still don't get how that brat would survive and not my Nadia. Nadia was absolutely brilliant and perfect to a T. Karaline's mother and I always saw how pathetically flawed she was. Nadia was the light of my life and now she's dead and that girl is still breathing." He mutters to himself.
"Kara is nothing like either of you. You are pathetic and cruel. I don't care what flaws Kara have she didn't deserve to be mistreated by the likes of you." Valentine hisses dangerously standing up. The peacekeeper steps between us and him.
"We won't hurt him Tidus calm down." I snap softly.
"You will leave Kara alone and never contact her or the Cresta family again. She owes you nothing. I've specifically ordered the Peacekeepers guarding victors village to refuse you entry. I will never let her be hurt by you ever again. If I even hear whispers of your name Joshua Mathis I will run you through with my trident." My voice drops dangerously. The man actually has the sense to look afraid before turning smug.
"Good riddance. Have a good life with her Odair. She is more trouble than she's worth. She is your problem now." The man says laughing as Valentine pulls my arm tugging me out of the house.
"Thank you Tidus." I say shaking the mans hand.
"That was the man that left Kara beaten and bruised." Valentine says quietly.
"Why did I leave him breathing again?" I wonder aloud.
"Even thought he's a bad father and all around human being he's still Karaline's father" Valentine says frowning.
I know he's right but it still takes every ounce of my self control not to turn around and end that disgusting mans life.
"I know I've never been your favorite person considering our past but I'm glad we can manage to be on good terms. I'm still so sorry every day for the things I did." Valentine tells me as we walk.
"I have no ill will towards you we both know that." I remind him shaking my head.
"You are doing it for Kara." Valentine says making me look up at him in surprise.
"He was wrong you know she is perfect...in a way only she can be. She draws people to her. Like a moth to a flame." He says aloud.
"Too bad people ignore the pull." I comment looking at him.
"They are all missing out that's for sure." Valentine agrees quietly carrying Kara's box as we make our way to victors village.

Authors note!  Okay... so we find out Valentine and Finnick have some kind of past together. Things probably won't come to light for a while but that's still something to think about. Some of you might wonder why her dad would treat her and about her like that and mistreat her. Like he said he never wanted a second child. He loved Nadia more than anything at first Kara was just an extra child who he just ignored. The reason he talked down about Kara's mother is because she doesn't state their relationship. I imagine he feels guilty for some kind of adultery on his part before she died which makes him project how he feels about himself into his late wife. He is very clean cut and just emotionless when sober. But when he's drunk he gets violent and cruel. He's lost everything he cares about and doesn't exactly blame Kara but resents her for being alive while he's lost everyone who matters to him. Or maybe there isn't anything further to who he is and he's just a dick. Welp I hope you enjoyed.