A kind-of random Finnick one-shot. Hmm…

Written for the Starvation prompt 'Celebration.' How this all sprung from the simple word 'celebration' is now an absolute mystery to me.

Could I get some reviews for this story because I'm really unsure about its quality. Just a simple review would really help me. Thank you!

~8~8~8~8~8~8~

You, Finnick Odair, have never been one for celebration. You didn't celebrate your own victory in the Hunger Games because you felt wrong and dirty from winning. You think someone else should have won. Anyone but you. To this day you still believe this. They could have made a better life that the one you lead now, selling yourself out and lying on a daily basis. You disgrace their memories so you decide the only way to make it up is to mentor someone who makes it out alive. You don't know how to do this, but you will.

~8~

There are so many failures. Their young faces and names swarm up to greet you when you can't sleep, and their hands tear you apart when you do sleep. You bury it all deeper so the Capital citizens you entertain don't notice that you don't sleep, that you've stopped eating, that you're dying inside.

~8~

This year it's two more; a girl named Annie and a boy named Nath. You almost wish that you didn't keep learning the tributes' names. Then they couldn't haunt your nights so much.

You attempt to train them the best you can, giving them pieces of advice that they will probably forget once they enter the arena, such as avoiding the cornucopia at all costs. You smile and try to tell them that you believe in them, that they can, in fact, win. You don't think they believe you. It's okay because you don't believe yourself either.

You don't celebrate when you send them into the arena, towards certain death. You can't. There's nothing to celebrate. Sure, you put up the façade of enjoyment and interest to keep the Gamemakers at bay, but it only keeps eating at you. Another year, another two kids sacrificed.

The boy, Nath, immediately disregards your advice, going for a knapsack full of food and even a firestarter right by the cornucopia. He is killed mercilessly by a Career who has probably conditioned for this kind of slaughter for most of his life. You laugh a little along with the crowd when your boy is the first body of the day. You have practiced keeping your emotions buried your whole life. You're a little like a Career in this respect. They slaughter each other, you slaughter your emotions.

You watch the rest of the Hunger Games with feigned excitement whenever a kill is made or another twist of fate occurs. As the games continue, you can feel the Gamemakers dissatisfaction over the relatively lackluster Game so far. Their displeasure is building and you know something bad is going to happen.

~8~

A flood. It seems like a coincidence until you think that maybe they knew about your depression over your tributes' failures. They thought this was the best was to let you get your 'victory.'

All you know is that you can't keep your eyes off of Annie as she flounders around in the crushing waves.

~8~

You only celebrate when you know that she's alive.

~8~

You often wonder in later years if there was anything you could have done, anything at all that might have allowed Annie to keep her grip on sanity. You don't know if there's an answer to this question so you just hug Annie tighter and tell her that you'll always protect her.