You Asked For This - Finnick Odair

Reaping Day

"A lot of what you're looking for is now already gone."
— Unknown

...

In the days before the reaping of the 68th Annual Hunger Games, Cora's anxiety only grew. Snow was going to hurt her brothers. She knew that much. What was he going to do?

She didn't want to worry anyone, but she also couldn't take not saying anything. The night before the reaping, Ocean approached his little sister.

"Cora?" The boy asked, gently knocking on the girl's open door.

"Come in," came the weak voice of the teenage girl.

Blue and Sean had been put to bed. Cora had made extra effort to hug them goodnight and tell them just how much she loved them. A normal act for the girl, but this time, it was desperate. She was now sitting at the foot of her bed, loosely hugging her knees and trying not to spiral. It wasn't working.

Ocean cautiously walked in and leaned against the dresser.

"Hey," the eighteen-year-old greeted in a whisper, trying to be careful with his sister.

"Hey," the girl responded, still weak but trying to sound happier than she was.

"Is there something going on?" Ocean asked, sounding very unsure, as if he was stepping on eggshells.

"Why would you think that?" Cora's response wasn't defensive. It was tired.

"You're acting... off. It's scaring me," the young man admitted.

Cora sighed. She knew she couldn't tell him about Snow's visit— she didn't want to put him in more danger than he already was.

"I just have a bad feeling about this year."

"Like the year you volunteered?" The black-haired boy was being careful.

The year his little sister had volunteered, she had been as anxious as she was right now. It felt the same. He suspected, just as she did two years ago, the girl was hiding something.

Cora looked up at her big brother, understanding in her mildly bloodshot eyes. "Yeah."

That was all he needed.

A solemn kind of silence filled the room.

"Whatever happens tomorrow," Ocean began. "Just remember I love you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good."

"I love you too, Ocean."

...

Once again, Ambrosia Vinette was on the podium, ready to draw names. Her color this year was a deep blue. Mags, Finnick, and Cora were in their assigned spots near the mayor.

Cora had had to leave her mansion early that morning, so she hadn't gotten a chance to hug her brothers beforehand. That was why she did it last night.

Out of sight of the cameras, Finnick linked his pinky with Cora's. He could tell she was especially nervous this year, especially with how she'd been acting the past few days.

The sixteen-year-old girl smiled a discrete, grateful smile to her seventeen-year-old friend before looking back at the District 4 escort.

"As always, ladies first!"

The woman carefully picked a name from the girls' draw.

"Harpie Hummings!"

Harpie Hummings was twelve years old. She had light brown skin, freckles, long brown hair, and deep brown eyes. Cora could see the fear in those deep brown eyes from where she sat and desperately wished that someone would volunteer for the girl.

"I volunteer!" Rang out an older female voice, as if on cue.

"How wonderful!" Ambrosia exclaimed. "Come on up!"

But the girl didn't even need to be told to come up, she was already making confident strides to the podium.

"And what's your name, dear?"

"Isla Fillies. I am eighteen years old and the next Victor of the Hunger Games." The young woman exuded confidence. It was clear that she knew how to play the game.

Isla Fillies was a classic District 4 beauty. She had sun-tanned skin, her nose and cheeks perfectly sprinkled with light freckles. Her wavy hair faded from dirty-blonde to almost white sun-bleached ends. Her eyes were similar to Finnick's, a beautiful sea green.

"What confidence! I adore you already, Isla Fillies!" Ambrosia gasped. "Now, onto the boys."

Cora's pinky tightened around Finnick's as their escort carefully selected the male tribute.

"Ocean Newport!"

That bastard. Punishing her and making it look like nothing more than the luck of the draw. Snow was behind this. Cora's only hope was that maybe, by some miracle, someone would volunteer for her big brother.

No one did.

In fact, nothing happened at all. Cora scanned the crowd, looking for the young man. All she managed to see was everyone else doing the same.

She found Sean with Lyra, both of them wide-eyed and distressed, just outside the crowd of eligible victims. But no Ocean.

The Peacekeepers must've gotten a message, because the Head Peacekeeper walked up to Ambrosia and whispered something in her ear.

"Well!" The woman exclaimed. "I've just been informed that Ocean Newport has been missing since this morning. We'll have to draw a new name!"

Coral Newport didn't pay attention to which name was drawn or who volunteered in its place. She just held onto Finnick's hand as her world crumpled around her.

Ocean Newport was missing.