This has to be paradise. This place is so soothing. I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time. Blue stretches above and below me until eternity. Tiny ripples form on the surface of the water as my feet graze by. The current is warm, and so is the breeze. I am flying. I don't have wings like the birds do, I am floating on the air. I am disconnected from everything, the land, the rebellion, the Capitol, the peacekeepers. I don't have to worry about anything anymore. Finnick is gone. Ash is gone. They have taken Annie, so she is probably gone too. I don't have a reason or will to live. Maybe I can stay here forever. May be I am gone too, and this is heaven. Maybe if I keep flying, I will meet everyone soon…
There is a continuous and rhythmic beeping, probably from a machine. A pungent smell, probably alcohol lingers in the air. Almost half a dozen tubes pass in and out of my body, the ruptures in my skin hurt a little when I try to move. Somebody is brushing the hair on my forehead. It's a soothing feeling, reminds me of Ash for some reason. I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be pampered. I open my eyes to see who it is. The room is brightly lit, forcing me to close them again. I only got a glance of the person sitting next to me, but that's enough.
"Finnick?" Am I still dreaming?
"Yes dear?" That voice can't belong to someone else. I force my eyes open. A warm smile greets me.
"Finnick…!" Words fail me. I'm on the verge of tears. His strong, comforting arms envelope me.
"Kiara! I am so glad you are alive. I thought I had lost you forever."
"Finnick...!" I can't stop crying. After I heard the news of the arena blowing up, I had assumed that he was dead. The gaping hole in my heart the night this news was on broadcast couldn't be my imagination. The feeling of losing Finnick haunted and tortured me to the extent of madness. So I made up my mind to support the rebellion.
I don't know how long it has been since I have been brought here. I have lost my ability to comprehend time. Not that it matters. I have the only person in the world I care for and that is enough.
Finnick holds my hand. "It'll be alright, okay? You are safe now. Do you remember what happen?"
"The last thing I remember is peacekeepers throwing bombs at the civilians in District 4. A bomb had landed two feet away from me and went off before I could move to safety. When I opened my eyes the next time, I was here."
The door flies open. "Finnick, the search party is back. They got Annie. She is in the emergency ward." Finnick's eyes light up. He looks at me, desire and happiness evident in his eyes. I know he wants to see her, but he won't ask me right away.
"Go, see her." I whisper. "I'll be here. Come back to me later. Bring her, if she is fine." That's all he has been waiting to hear. I know I'm important to him, and he knows that I need him, but deep inside, I have accepted that Annie will always be more important to him. He gets up from the chair near my bed and disappears into the corridor. The man is still near the door, unsure of what to do next. He looks middle-aged, grey eyes piercing out of his ruffled curly dark hair.
"My name is Haymich. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Can you ask a nurse to sedate me? The pain is becoming unbearable now." The pain in my heart...
"Sure!" He says and leaves the room. After some time, a nurse enters the room and injects a clear blue liquid in my right arm. My eyelids are becoming heavy. I recall the wonderful days when Ash, Finnick and I would run away to the beach, and have fun with the water. I remember the time Ash caught a large fish and gave it to me. It was so heavy I couldn't even carry it. And I was exhausted from running around on the boat all day long. Finally when the ship landed on the shore, Ash carried me home on his shoulders. I let myself fall asleep on his shoulders.