Chapter 2! Yay!

Shout-out to Elena33 (guest) for reviewing! Your review made me so happy! It was so nice!

That was more exclamation marks than I've used in my whole life.

When I got back to District 12, a large crowd of people was waiting to greet the first victor in more than 15 years, which isn't that much compared to when Haymitch won. When the first District 12 Victor won the 10th Hunger Games, we waited another forty years before the 50th Games.

Nine-year-old Prim was there, sitting up on the shoulders of Gale Hawthorne, a boy two years older than me in school. His father was killed in the same accident that took mine, and up until recently, we hated each other because he was my competition hunting in the woods. We then realized that with my superior skills with a bow and his amazing snares, we could make a pretty awesome team. Since then, he became more like a brother than a hunting partner.

My mother wasn't there, but that didn't shock me. Since my father's death, she rarely moved. She would just sit wrapped up in blankets in bed, or in her chair by the fireplace. She was the reason I started hunting.

After escaping my fans at the train station, Gale and Prim lead me back to my new house in Victor's Village. Prim and my mother had already moved in, the moment I shot that final arrow at Caleb. I suggested the Hawthornes move in with us, but Gale declined.

That first night in the Victor's Village was the worst one I had, by far. I woke from my nightmares in a cold sweat. I was glad I didn't scream. The night before I screamed loudly, waking Haymitch.

I checked the digital clock on my nightstand, another luxury we never had before I won the Games, and saw it was only a little after one o'clock. It was too early to wake my mother. I still relied on her to be my mother, no matter how much I resented her. I went downstairs and made some Chamomile tea, wrapped myself in a blanket and sat on the new couch.

Finnick's words came back to me.

Like it or not, Girl on Fire, you're a nutcase now, too. There's going to be a phone in your new house. Call me.

I threw off my blanket and ran back to my room, where Finnick's phone number was written on a white napkin. I stared at it for a second, then brought it back with me to the living room. I didn't want to call Finnick. Or Cashmere, or any of the other Victors. I would feel awful for waking them up. If all Victors got awful nightmares like I did, I wanted them to get every bit of peaceful sleep they could.

So I drained my tea and stared at the napkin in my hands. Finnick wrote his numbers funny. He drew a flag on the top of his one, but not a little stand at the bottom. He put a little tab on the head of his seven, and a line through it. His three was flat on top. His eight was two circles on top of each other, and he must've written it quickly because they weren't attached in the middle. The napkin was soft and a little worn from spending a day of travel in my pocket, then half a night under my pillow.

I jumped and reached for an invisible bow when I heard footsteps. They were light and I had to strain to hear them.

"Katniss?" a small voice asked. I relaxed when I saw Prim at the top of the stairs.

"Hey Prim," I said with a smile.

"Why are you awake?" she asked me as she came down. My eyes watered a little when I saw the warm, comfortable, pink pajamas she was wearing. If nothing else, it was worth winning the Hunger Games to see Prim with her belly full and wearing warm clothes.

"I just had a nightmare," I told her. I patted the seat next to me and she curled against my side, stealing some of my blanket.

"What's that?" she pointed to Finnick's napkin.

"Just a phone number. He told me to call him if I needed someone to talk to, but I don't want to wake him up."

"Ooooh," Prim teased. "So it's a boy. Is he your boyfriend?

I blushed. "No! No, he's way older than me. He's like, fifteen."

Prim stood up and walked over to the wall phone. "How does this thing work, anyway?"

I stared at it for a second, not quite sure myself. "I think you just pick up the phone and type in the numbers."

There was a phone book on the table under the phone and she opened the cover. I had already looked at it, and Effie Trinket had filled it out for me. There weren't many numbers. Cinna was there, as was Haymitch (who was my next door neighbor), Effie, Mayor Undersea, and a whole lot of Victors. Cashmere and Gloss, from the 63 and 64 Hunger Games, Enobaria from the 62 Hunger Games, and a bunch of older Victors who were closer to Haymitch's age than mine.

Prim picked up the phone. I thought she was just looking at it, until she typed in a number.

"Prim, no!" I cried. She shot me a mischievous grin and continued typing in numbers. I threw off my blanket and was up in an instant. But I was too late. There aren't that many people who own phones in Panem, so phone numbers are usually only five digits long. Prim shoves the phone in my hands and I distantly hear a woman's voice.

I put the phone to my ear, glaring at Prim. The woman sounded tired and a little irritated. When I recognized the voice, my eyes widened, I quickly apologized and slammed the phone down on the receiver.

"Twenty-three numbers," I said to Prim as I collapsed dramatically into a nearby chair. "Twenty-three, and you choose to call Effie Trinket."

She giggled. "I just wanted to hear her yell at you about manners,"

I had told Prim about Effie and how everything that came out of her mouth was about my bad manners or the schedule.

I laughed, too.

"If Effie Trinket is awake, then I bet whoever gave you that number is, too." Prim said. Then she carried the napkin over to the phone book. "Let's see. The numbers are organized by District. This one starts with a four so that means it's from-"

I slam the book shut and she grins cheekily up at me.

"You said he's fifteen? And his area code says he's from District 4 so that means he must be Finnick Odair!"

When did she get that smart? I think most of it was just wishful thinking. She had a small crush on him, along with half of Panem.

"No he's not," I said immediately.

She saw right through that. "He is!" she squealed and, faster than I thought possible, punched his number into the keypad.

I stood up and ripped the phone out of her hand. "Primrose Everdeen!" I hissed at her and was about to hang up, when I heard Finnick answer. "He-hello?" I said timidly into the phone, glaring at Prim all the while. He sounded wide awake.

"Katniss? Is that you?"

"Um, yeah. It's me. Sorry, I didn't want wake you up, but then Prim, my sister, came downstairs and-" I was rambling, but Finnick cut me off.

"You didn't wake me up," He said. "I was already awake."

"Oh." I looked over and saw Prim sitting on the couch, staring at me expectantly. "I think Prim wants to talk to you."

"Did I hear you go all big sister on her just now?" Finnick asked me, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah. She woke up when I did and then spent a while figuring out how to use a telephone, only to call Effie Trinket out of all people."

Finnick laughed loudly, and I was scared he woke up his whole house. "Your escort?"

I laughed with him this time.

"Well put Prim on the phone, then. I need to meet this evil mastermind."

I noticed Prim had stood up and was waiting expectantly. I handed her the phone, but stood close to her so I could hear.

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Is this the Primrose Everdeen?" Finnick said dramatically. Prim giggled.

"Yes. Are you really Finnick Odair? From District 4?"

"The one and only," Finnick from District 4 said. He was still smiling.

"You're my favorite victor. Besides Katniss." She amended her statement.

"That's good. Katniss should always be your favorite. You know, I'm Katniss's favorite Victor, too."

Prim looked at me, her eyes wide. I knew she didn't believe it, after listening to Gale and I mock him for a year. "No you aren't," She said. I found myself praying that she wasn't about to say what I thought she would. "I've heard her call you some really bad names when she's talking to Gale. She wouldn't have said it if she knew I was listening, of course. She just-"

"Prim!" Prim hadn't really developed a filter, and tended to say whatever came to mind. Her eyes widened when she realized that what she said would hurt Finnick's feelings. "But she hasn't done it since she got back," She added, trying to fix it.

"How long has she been home?" Finnick asked, sounding hurt. "Twelve hours?"

I held out my hand for the phone.

"About twelve hours, yeah. Katniss wants the phone back. Bye!"

"Bye, Prim," Finnick said.

"How about you go back to bed, Prim," I said. She gave me a hug and went back up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Finnick." I said. I still couldn't believe Prim had let that slip. It was true, Gale and I would mock him. He was known for being a flirt and was the newest face of the Hunger Games. He was already known as Panem's Golden Boy and Gale and I hated him for it. But that was before I met him myself and saw that he was actually one of the funniest, nicest people I had ever met.

"It's okay, Katniss," Finnick said, even though I knew he didn't mean it.

"No, I'm serious. I do like you. I used to say that stuff about you with Gale, but then I actually met you. None of that stuff the Districts believe about you is true." I said honestly. "You are my favorite Victor."

"That means a lot, Katniss." He said honestly. "But it's okay. Everyone in District 12 hates me. It's because of my Capitol image." He abruptly changed the topic. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Um.. yeah. Why didn't you tell me about them?" I asked accusingly. "Why didn't Haymitch tell me they would come back?"

"Oh, Katniss," He said sympathetically. "There's a lot Haymitch won't tell you about being a Victor. Just wait until you're sixteen. You'll hate that."

"What?" I asked, terrified. "What happens when you're sixteen?"

"I'm-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You'll be okay. Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"No," I said. "I don't want to keep you awake."

"It's no trouble," he told me. "You forget that I'm in a different time zone. It's only-" he paused. "Ten thirty here. My brother's still awake, too. By the time you fall asleep, it won't be that late. And tomorrow's Saturday. I can sleep in."

"What if I don't ever fall asleep?" I challenged.

He laughed. "You underestimate my ability to tell boring stories."

"Whatever. I'm sure it's a great honor to be told stories by the Finnick Odair," I teased. I laughed with me and then proceeded to tell me boring District 4 stories. I suspected he was actually just reading his brother's history notes, but I didn't protest.

He was right. I fell asleep very quickly.

...

This continued for months. Whenever I had a bad night I would pull Finnick's napkin out from under my pillow and stare at his funny handwriting. I would recite the five numbers until I calmed down. If all else failed, I would call Finnick. He never said he was too tired, he never hung up first, and he never made me tell him about my nightmares.

The day the Effie Trinket arrived back in District 12 for the Victory Tour was one of the most of the exciting days of my life. I couldn't wait to see Finnick again. It all went by fairly smoothly. Caesar Flickerman asked me a few questions before I left District 12, then I got on the train from District 11.

This was Savannah's home. I couldn't help it. I gave my own speech. It was definitely not the greatest, but I meant everything I said.

Haymitch told me I shouldn't have done that. President Snow was already angry at me for bringing emotion to the Games. For crying and burying Savannah and for forming a bond with Cameron. There was no dinner at District 11. Effie was offended, as that wasn't customary. Peacekeepers escorted the three of us back to the train, where my Prep team and Cinna were waiting for us. We ate dinner in silence. Not even Effie tried to start a conversation.

I had nightmares that night. My hand immediately reached for Finnick's phone number, but it wasn't there.

I stood up and searched through all my drawers, on my bathroom counter, and in my bag for the napkin. I definitely brought it with me, but I couldn't remember where I put it. I tried to recite the numbers, but it didn't work.

I could feel my panic rising. Images from my games were flashing in my eyes.

Golda and Lana lying on the ground, covered in Tracker Jacker stings.

Caleb and Cameron, the mutts swarming around them.

Platinum, an arrow through his chest, and Savannah lying on the ground with a spear next to her.

Victoria, an axe buried in her back, and Caleb's horrified scream echoing throughout the arena.

I screamed.

My hand reached for an invisible bow, but instead I grabbed a glass. I drained it, hoping the water would calm me down, but it didn't. I threw it on the ground and it shattered.

Haymitch entered my room, an avox following him with a mug of hot chocolate. The avox left the hot chocolate on my nightstand and left. Haymitch sat down next to me on my bed.

He handed me the napkin. I stared down at the familiar numbers. 41738. The line through the seven. The flag on the one. The ink smear on the four. I felt Haymitch stand up and leave. At some point the avox returned and cleaned up the smashed glass.

I closed my eyes and took a sip of hot chocolate. It was good, but no one made it like my mother.

It was hard to wake up the next morning, but Effie was quite persistent. We needed to leave District 10 by one o'clock so we could get to District 9 that evening, but we still had to get me ready, give my speech, then have lunch with the mayor of District 10 and her family and the Victors, as was tradition.

The outlying Districts passed by quickly. 9 and 10 were bland. 8 was ugly, because of all the factories, but the people were nice. District 7 was beautiful, because of all the trees. I saw Cameron's family and her sister, Johanna. They were identical, but Johanna had longer hair and was a little shorter. I wasn't allowed to talk to them, either.

Districts 5 and 6 were on the same day. They were similar in everything. Population, number of Victors. They were both covered in power plants and factories.

District 4 was by far the most beautiful. It was on the other side of Panem and half of it was beaches. I looked for Finnick when we got off the train and at the Justice Building, but he wasn't there. We had about an hour before dinner, so I went to the beach by myself, taking a moment away from Effie and my prep team.

The water scared me at first. I knew the waves were supposed to lap up onto the sand, but it still scared me when the cool water touched my toes. I screamed.

Someone was laughing behind me. "It's just water," they said. It was Finnick. He plopped down on the sand next to me and pulled me down with him. "Hello, Katniss Everdeen," He said.

"Hello the Finnick Odair," That had become my nickname for him ever since Prim had fangirled over him over the phone.

"I've been enjoying our phone calls," He told me. I looked up at him. He was a lot taller than me, even sitting down.

"Me too." I said. I remembered something that had been bothering me for nearly six months, so I brought it up. "That first phone conversation we had," I said. "What did you mean about when I turned sixteen? You're almost sixteen now, right?"

Finnick looked away. "I'm not supposed to say."

"Please, Finnick. If it's that awful, shouldn't I be prepared? You apparently are."

"Yeah, I am, just... be ready to hate me."

I frowned. "I'm not going to hate you for something you're forced to do."

He didn't reply to my comment, he just started talking. "When you're sixteen, or for most they wait until you're eighteen, you're forced to sell yourself to the Capitol. Do you understand that?"

I shook my head.

Finnick sighed. "Has your mother given you the sex talk yet?"

I growled. "I'm twelve, Finnick. I'm almost a teenager."

He put his hands up defensively. "Just making sure. I don't want Mrs. Everdeen getting on me for educating her daughter."

"Get on with it, Odair."

Finnick got serious again. "President Snow forces the desirable Victors to... have sex with Capitol men and women in exchange for money for Snow. We're the lucky ones, since we won so young. Can you imagine getting out of the arena only to be told right away that you have to sell your body to much-older Capitolites? It's disgusting."

I felt the blood drain from my face, and Finnick noticed it. He wrapped his arm around me. "It's okay," he said. "You still have years before they can even touch you."

"Have you started?" I asked him.

Finnick shook his head, and I felt relieved. "Not yet. But I've had to attend parties and stuff like that at the Capitol. Just a few a year. You probably will, too. It's not that bad, I promise."

I nodded, my forehead pressed into his shoulder.

"Katniss, you know Haymitch is going to protect you for as long as he can? And I will, too. Maybe they won't go anywhere near you until you're eighteen."

"I'm worried about you," I said. "Don't... Don't let this change you. Tell me that you'll stay the same, even after all of this." I commanded.

Finnick winced, because we both knew that was a promise no one could keep. But he agreed all the same.

Edited 11/1/21