Annie stands at the edge of the water, letting the cold ocean waves wash over her pale feet. The sky and water are both a sad, mournful grey. The sea misses him too, she thinks. Annie curls her toes in the sand, just like she used to when she came here as a little girl. The feel of the sand between her toes is soothing, and the sharp salty breeze blows gently against her face, caressing her, comforting her in her sorrow. It whispers to her, and she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she can understand the words. She imagines Finnick whispering in her ear, telling her she's safe, because he'll protect her. A single tear rolls down her cheek as she stares out towards the horizon. "Hey Finn," she whispers, so quietly that her voice is barely audible over the rushing waves.
She walks slowly, deeper into the water until she is up to her knees in the sea. Annie shivers. "I miss you," she says. "I miss you so much. Sometimes..." her voice catches. She takes a slow, shaky breath. "Sometimes I can feel myself slipping away again. And it's all I can do to hold on." She reaches into her pocket. "I need you so badly." Her voice trembles, and tears start running down her cheeks. "I don't know how to be a mother," she sobs. "I love our son more than anything, but I don't know how to be a mother, and I don't want to hurt him because I don't know how." Out of her pocket, she pulls a small wooden box.
She opens it, reaches in and takes out a small piece of rope, knotted three times. "I've got your rope," she says. " The one you used...when you needed something to hold on to. I knotted it three times. One knot for you, one for me, and one for our baby boy." Annie places the rope back inside the box and closes the lid. She walks farther into the water until the cold salt water is up to her chest. She kisses the little box, and throws it out into the sea, as hard and as far as she possibly can.
"I miss you," she says again. "And I need you. But you can't come back." She shivers again. "So I need to let you go. And I promise I'll learn. I'll learn how to be a good mother. And I'll tell stories," Annie stares up at the sky. "I'll tell him stories about his father. I'll tell him that you were a hero. My hero." Annie takes a deep breath and submerges herself. Then she comes back up, and starts swimming out into the ocean. The salt water sprays her face and makes her feel alive. "Remember when we swam together?" Annie cries out. "The first time we went swimming together...that was when I knew that I loved you. I still love you, and I'm not ever going to forget you. But I am going to let you go." She sinks under the ocean again.
Annie isn't sure how long she stays out in the water. But when she finally drags herself up the sandy shore, the clouds are much darker than they were when she first came. For a while, she just lies there, letting the foamy surf pull and tug at her tired body. Then she pulls herself up and sits, mumbling a lullaby that Finnick used to sing to her.
"You'll be all right, no one can hurt you now."
the end.