You Asked For This - Finnick Odair

After The Storm

"After a storm comes a calm."
— Mattew Henry

...

Coral Newport was nineteen years old. She had strawberry-blonde hair and storm-green eyes.

Coral Newport was adopted. Her parents were dead. She used to have four brothers. She had one now.

Coral Newport is the Victor of the 66th Annual Hunger Games. She volunteered to save the life of a little girl. That little girl is dead now.

Coral Newport had two best friends. Xena Tinsley and Annie Cresta. Both were insane. In one way or another. At least, that's what people said. She wasn't sure she believed it.

Coral Newport had Finnick Odair. She wasn't sure exactly who he was to her. A friend? It was complicated. But she couldn't live without him, she knew that.

Coral Newport listed the facts of her life in her head as she stared out at the ocean. It was just after dawn and the morning was calm. The sun had already risen.

Annie said that listing facts, things that were real, helped when her mind started to spiral. Annie's boyfriend, Crane, often helped her keep the facts straight.

Cora decided to try it out when she got anxious. It would become a mantra as she practiced it, taking deep breaths while she listed the facts.
Finnick stood on the shoreline with her, the light breeze blowing his golden hair in the wind. His sea-green eyes reflected the ocean.

The 71st Annual Hunger Games were in a few months. The nineteen-year-olds were on a week-long break from their Capitol occupation. After so many years, they had mastered the art of doing as Snow instructed them.

And so, they were forced to be sold to adults as well now. They weren't paid for their appointments anymore. They had more money than they would ever need.

Finnick took his compensation in secrets. The knowledge gave him power.

Cora took hers in offerings. Her patrons had to give her something dear to them in exchange for her time. If they didn't, she would find something to take that she thought matched the value of what they were taking from her.

She didn't keep her offerings. She burned them so that they would be lost forever. It was only fair.

Life had calmed down. It seemed that Snow was done tormenting the District 4 Victors. He had gotten what he wanted.

...

Blue Newport cooked dinner. At ten years old, he had become a rather talented chef. Sometimes, he would enlist help from the others (with the exception of Annie). Other times, he wanted to cook alone.

When he saw Cora and Finnick, he nodded at them. He still wouldn't smile at the two, but he was getting better. The relationship was healing. "Food'll be done in ten minutes. Could you set the table?"

"Yep," Cora nodded back with a small smile, ready to help.

"You got it, Chef Blue," Finnick smirked at the boy. He didn't say Chef Newport— that was Sean.

Annie, Mags, Crane, Finnick, Blue, and Cora all sat around the table. They often had dinner together. Sometimes, Annie would have dinner with Crane and his parents at the Marins' home, but she usually ate with the other Victors and Blue. It was easier that way.

They had polite dinner conversation. Talked mostly about Blue's time at school and Crane's time at work. Occasionally, Xena or Percy might be mentioned.

But the conversation tended to stay clear of the lives of the Victors. It was never a happy topic.
Life was calm. The pain, while still fresh, was beginning to dull. Cora only hoped it stayed that way.