Pain tears through my legs. Each step I take stabs at my feet. But I can do nothing but run faster. My mind is in a scramble. I need to... I just need to... as long as... as long as I can make it in time...
I halt at the edge of the woods and look out into the glen to discover that I have made it in time. Just in time to see the boy from District 2 bring his sword down on Hatori's neck. For a moment all I can see is my fellow tribute's head on the grass a few feet away from his collapsed body. The boy from District 2 glares up at me. The next instant I am on the ground. I clasp my hands over my ears and a scream escapes my throat. The sound keeps coming without effort on my part. The trees, the ground, the sky... everything kind of caves in on my chest and my lungs turn to stone. I let out a final scream as darkness consumes my being.
The light comes back when my eyelids peel open. I am looking into Finnick's ocean eyes. I see the shore in them as they become watery, blurring their shades of blue. His brow is furrowed and he licks his lips nervously. I become aware of his arms, one cradling my neck and the other wrapped around my back. I uncurl and find myself the floor of the Victors' cottage. Weakly I attempt to stand up. Until I am up and Finnick takes my wrists, I do not realize that I am shaking.
"I'm here," he says with a voice as calming as the waves, "Everything is alright." He gently moves my now messy hair back out of my face. He slips his hand into mine and helps me gather my wits.
When our hands are pried apart, we are in the Main Square. I hear my name and I look around, confused. Then I hear it again.
"Annie Cresta," the voice booms again. Everyone is looking my way. My lungs deflate and my heart skips. The woman on the stage is staring at me, holding a piece of paper bearing my name.
I have been reaped to play in the third Quarter Quell.
I can't feel my stiff legs as I move forward. My head begins to swirl. Suddenly there is another voice.
"I volunteer as tribute," the shy voice of Mags whispers from behind me. She makes her way up to the stage. I feel tears on my cheeks that I hadn't realized had formed. I can't seem to gather my thoughts before the woman on stage speaks again.
"Finnick Odair."
This time I am well aware of my tears. I shriek, watching the love of my life walk up the steps. Two Capitol men hold my arms back as I try to run to him. He is escorted away, and I forget. I forget where I am, I forget how to control myself, I forget how life works. It is like watching your own soul, your own purpose for living being marched away.
"You can see him one more time during the visiting time," says one of the guards holding me. As the crowd disperses, they let go of me and head to their hovercraft. I walk to the Hall of Justice to wait. I sit for several hours, waiting until the Capitol people will let me in to see Finnick.
When the visiting time finally starts, two men escort me to his room. I push through the door faster than the guard can open it. I become his magnet; I am pulled toward him with the strongest of forces and cannot let go. We stand for a moment like this, my tears soaking into his shirt.
"Don't leave me," I whisper after a moment, "I can't lose you."
"Aw, c'mon," he says with a sly grin, "I've done this once, I can do it again. I'll be back before you know it." I giggle at his same cockiness that won't go away no matter what the circumstance. He leans in and plants a gentle kiss on my lips, and just like that the guards seize me and drag me out of the room. As I scream, struggle, and bawl, I see a flicker of an unfamiliar mix of sadness and fear in his eyes.
I somehow find my way back to the cottage and crawl into bed. I do not leave that spot for days, except to get some food.
When the games start, I migrate to the couch with the television on. All I can bring myself to do is sit and watch. Occasionally I am transported to when I was in the Games, but am brought back when I see Finnick's face. A few days pass, only thinking to eat once every once in a while.
I realize that I haven't eaten in the past two days, so I get up to bring back some bread from the kitchen. But when I return, the Games are not playing on the television. This is strange. The Capitol would never stop airing in the middle of the Games.
I only have a moment to be confused before Capitol guards are swarming me. I shriek, I feel a needle in my arm, then I see black.
I awaken to a white ceiling, surrounded by white and bound to a silver table. This is not District 4 I can tell. I close my eyes and scream as loud as my vocal chords will allow. I suddenly get a sensation of sinking, not as if the table is sinking, but as if my being inside my body is sinking into an abyss with no walls or floor to stop me.
I am back in the arena, Hatori decapitated and the boy from District 2 running towards me with his sword. I turn to run into the forest, but there is some invisible wall keeping me from escaping. I spin around to see the boy swing his sword and…
I am in the Justice Hall. My mother is bawling, and my father has a look of worry, anger, and sadness on his face. When the guard comes in and grabs my mother to drag her out, my father lunges at him. I watch the guard beat him to the ground. He turns to me, lifts a fist, and…
I am on my launch pad at the Cornucopia. The other tributes run for weapons, but before I can move they all turn towards me; arrows, swords, maces, axes, tridents, and knives aimed at me and…
I am in the arena, when suddenly the ground begins to shake and I hear the familiar sound of rushing water. As I see it run towards me, I prepare myself to jump into the wave to swim, but my feet are cemented to the ground. They won't budge. I feel the spray get nearer to my skin and…
I am in the white room again. There are several people that I do not recognize.
"We are here to help you," a man says, "We're bringing you back to District 13."
So many questions run through my head, but all that comes out of my mouth is, "Finnick…"
"He is there waiting for you," the man says.
They help me out of my shackles and into a hovercraft. It is a fairly short trip. I think of nothing but Finnick as they take me underground to meet him in his room.
And there he is. Same ocean eyes, same mischievous smile. I run to him and hold him tight. Just when the world feels as good as it can get, he lets go, lowers himself down to one knee, and pulls out a ring.
Next thing I know, I'm clothed in a green silk dress, Finnick in a suit, and both of us under a net woven out of grass. Three hundred citizens of District 13 watch as we touch each other's lips with salt water then share our first kiss as a husband and a wife.
All I am aware of is Finnick. Every minute of every day.
Until he has to leave on a mission to infiltrate President Snow's mansion.
With a familiar twinkle in his eye, he says, "I'll be back before you know it." Just like he did before the Quarter Quell.
Except he isn't.
The last thing I remember for months is hearing about the mutt attack. I move between multiple realities. Sometimes I am in District 13. Sometimes I am back in the arena. Sometimes I am with Finnick.
When I am deemed stable enough, I am allowed to return to District 4. This is where my little boy with blonde hair and ocean blue eyes comes into the world. I send a picture to Katniss and Peeta for their book. They keep it to remember, I guess. It's a good idea, but I don't know how much I want to remember.