Annie at 11 Years Old
"Lucy, when I'm grown, I'm going to be a mermaid."
Lucy Cresta laughed, the way everyone always did. Annie never knew what to feel when they laughed. Usually she just pretended like she didn't notice. Her older sister's fingers brushed Annie's cheeks as she collected the dark curls that had fallen down in front of her face. "Are you, now, Annie?"
"Yes." Annie sat up a little taller as she said it, squinting against the harsh light of the sun. She didn't like the sun much. Not when she was out in the open, at least. It was too bright, too hot, too everything. When she was in the water, it felt perfect.
"And how do you suppose you're going to do that?" Lucy said, in that certain tone of voice where Annie could just hear her smiling. She combed through the same spot in Annie's hair over and over, gently working through the knots and tangles. Annie loved coming down to the bay with her sister. Ever since mother had gotten sick Lucy was busy taking care of everyone, and Annie missed her. She missed the childlike grin that was present only near the water, in the crisp, salty, ocean air. She missed it because, of course, she missed Lucy looking happy, but also it reminded her of mother, and mother never smiled anymore. If she was even awake, all she did was stare at nothing in particular.
Annie dragged her toes in the chilly water and watched as it undulated and rippled away. Baby waves. She shrugged, causing her hair to fall forward again. Lucy sighed good-naturedly from behind her, and her sister's warm breath wrapped around her neck like a silky scarf. "Dunno, exactly. I just figure if I swim every day, all day long, then eventually I'll just be forced to adapt."
Lucy laughed again, but this time Annie knew it was a kind laugh. "You're a smart kid, Annie."
"We're learning about adapting in school. So I thought about it, and I decided I'm going to adapt to be a mermaid."
"I'm not sure if that's how it works, baby girl," Lucy replied tentatively, massaging Annie's shoulders and leaning forward into her. She went on and said something else, but Annie's attention had drifted back to the water beneath them. Annie had never understood docks. How could a big piece of wood support so much weight? And why didn't it just float away? She flicked the surface of the water with her toes, sending little droplets flying, and creating more baby waves.
I could live in water forever, she thought, smiling to herself. I'm meant to be a mermaid.
I came up with this idea and liked it a lot (; So basically this is a collection of separate little drabbles and one-shots from Annie's life. And yes, you'll get to see a lot of our other beloved canon characters. Including Finnick. There will be a LOT of Finnick, trust me. Haha. Some chapters will be shorter or longer than others, just depends on the topic of the chapter. Enjoy, and leave me a review if you can c: Thanks lovies!