HURRICANE, finnick odair (hiatus)

ii. unfortunate soul

CHAPTER TWO!

UNFORTUNATE SOUL.

"ROSALIE BARTON"

The name echoes around the town square, heads snapping in the direction of the terrified teenage girl who's heart has practically stopped at this stage. Her breaths are shaky and uneven, Rosalie's feet moving on their own accord when her name is called once again by the lady on the stage.

There's noise all around her and yet she is only able to hone in on a few of them — the loud cries of her mother along with the quiet whispers of her father whilst to her left she can hear her older brother trying to comfort their younger one as he watches on in horror.

On the stage, Finnick stands with other former victors, his entire being shattered as he watches her fragile form move onto the stage. Mags places a hand on his shoulder but it isn't enough to distract him from his best friend slowly making her way towards him. His heart physically hurts — she's the furthest thing from a fighter, in fact she's exactly the opposite. She would have to be the least vicious person he has ever met in his life, her chances are limited and unfortunately he knows that.

Finnick finds himself desperately hoping that somebody in the crowd will put their hand up, take her spot and let her return to her family. Most days in District Four there is at least one person who volunteers and yet, his pleas go unanswered and she's forced to stand on the stage by herself looking as if she'd fall apart if somebody simply looked at her.

"And now for the boys,"

Rosalie's eyes stray to the crowd, lingering over her older brother who is holding fifteen year old Carter in his arms as he breaks down. The last thing she wants is for one of her brothers to have to join her because it means her parents will lose two children.

"Zachariah Riverstone,"

Whilst it sounds absolutely horrible, Rosalie cannot help but feel slightly relieved when she hears the boy's name. It's not because she has anything against him, in fact she's never even spoken to him before, but because it is not one of her brothers who are both able to be taken to the arena.

He steps forward, looking slightly intimidating with his larger build - one that makes her look rather small. She watches him carefully, her eyes soon diverting when he moves to stand beside her. Instead, she is forced to look out into the audience where she sees her sobbing brother and inconsolable mother - it's too much for her and it causes a tear to slide down the side of her cheek.

"Our tributes for District Four, Rosalie Barton and Zachariah Riverstone!"

The wait in the small room is both terrifying and comforting. She knows it means she'll get to see her family one last time but it also means she's even closer to being shipped off to the Capitol where she will likely never leave - alive anyway.

When the door opens up, Rosalie is instantly embraced by her younger brother, whose arms are wrapped around her as tight as they can be. She rests her cheek against the top her head, however she's only just able to do so. He's getting so tall, he'll surpass her soon enough. Asher joins the embrace, towering over the both of them.

"You can't go," Carter's voice is a soft whisper as he holds her, afraid that if he lets go he will never see her again. "You can't,"

"I don't have a choice, C," Rosalie sniffles.

"I know,"

Carter pulls away and looks her in the eyes, gripping her cheeks with his cold hands. She manages to produce the smallest of smiles for the boy who she has always needed to be so strong for, for the boy who has looked up to her since they were children.

"Y-you will try, right? Y-you won't give up?" He asks and it's almost as if they're little kids again, the vulnerability in his tone is heartbreaking.

"Of course I will try, C. I'd be stupid not to," Rosalie uses the softest tone she can muster. "I will try my absolute hardest to get back to you all,"

"You better," Asher interjects as their parents now move over to their only daughter.

Her mother and father simply hold her, obviously not knowing what to say in such a situation. They'd managed to get through it and now their son has too, this being his last reaping day. The last person they expected to be shipped off to the Hunger Games would be Rosalie because with her maturity and loveable nature, it's easy to forget she's only a teenager herself.

When the Peacekeepers barge back into the room, she's engulfed between all of them for a few final moments and then they're gone. Rosalie takes a shaky breath and sits down on the chair, her hands running through her hair as a way to release some stress. Nobody else comes to visit, which doesn't really surprise her. Her closest friend will be travelling to the Capitol with her anyway, he'll probably be her mentor in the end. It's a scary thought really.

The Peacekeepers once again return to the room and they escort her to the train where she will be spending some time. It's luxurious even from the outside, so much more than she's ever seen in District Four. She breathes in deeply before stepping on and moving inside where she sees Finnick seated on the couch. The second she enters the room, he's up on his feet with his arms around her.

"We're going to get you out of this,"

No matter how much she wants to believe what he is saying, he has never lied to her before, she can't.

NOTE!

Short and boring but thank you so so much for reading anyway! I hope you like the characters as well! I've never had this many original characters in a story before so it'll be different but fun! Hope you enjoyed!