Hello!
So this is little one-shot about Finnick and Annie. That pairing made me cry for about one whole day after finishing the book. It was so cute! I mean, Finnick can have any girl he wants, but he doesn't care about them, all he cares about is Annie - the crazy girl back home. *sigh* So adorable!
Anyways, this one-shot is a little thank you gift for my dedicated readers of Consequences, my Hunger Games fanfic. Check it out, and if you do, PLEASE review!
So the text in italics is flashbacks and the normal text is present time (p.340 of Catching Fire when the Jabberjays come)
Thanks and enjoy! The Cry of the Jabberjay
I couldn't piece it together. A scream in the distance, Katniss' fear, the toll of the clock. It made no sense... Until I heard her scream. I could feel the colour drain from my face and my vision quickly grew blurred. The pain that shot through me was something I've only experienced once in my life. And as I tore away from Katniss, ignoring her words, did I remember it.
I didn't understand.
Sure, she was beautiful, with her long flowing brown hair and deep chocolate eye. But, there are many beautiful girls in this world. What was different about her?
I had never spoken to this girl. I had not met her either. And yet, I felt like I knew her. The moment I saw her, she was all that mattered. It was the weirdest sensation. I didn't know what love was, until I saw her. No words were spoken. No skin touched. Just having my eyes fall onto her, was enough to light the fire inside of me that was yearning to burn.
That year, I watched the television so intently that my parents had to stand in front of me to get my attention. Even then, I hardly gave them any acknowledgement. All I cared about was the girl on the screen. She was all I could think about. When I wasn't glued to the television screen, I was gathering food, money, weapons, anything I could get my hands on to send to her.
Annie. She was everything now.
Behind me Katniss screams my name. "Finnick! Finnick wait!" I ignored her, pushing my way through the tangles of vines and trees to reach her.
Every day I sat in front of the screen, petrified for her. What would they do to her today? What would she have to endure? I was horrified when she ran into tribute after tribute and was forced to fight them. Helplessly, I clung to my sanity as Annie worked her way through the arena's forest, fighting to stay alive. As the Games progressed, she met up with Adrian, her district partner. Together, they fled from the horrors of the Games, hid in the tall grass and took down a few tributes, getting closer and closer to coming home.
It would have made sense for me to hate him, to envy him. But I didn't. I was grateful towards him. He helped her, he protected her, they were friends. He was more to her than I could ever be. So many times, she was in trouble, hurt, scared, and all I could do was sit and stare at a screen. He would save her, heal her, comfort her. He protected her when I couldn't and I was grateful for that.
I finally reach the sound of her screams. "Annie! Annie!" I scream her name over and over again, circling a giant oak. Her voice echoes down to me from its branches. The limbs are too high up for me to reach, but I try anyways. I claw at the bark, scream to the sky, I do anything I can to reach her. I hear nothing but her, see nothing but her, all I can do is hold onto her memory as the pain takes over.
Once there was but five of them left, Annie and Adrian were attacked. A pair of tributes from District 6 began to circle them and knock their weapons from their hands. They were stronger, faster and crueller. They never stood a chance. Soon, they had Annie pinned by the girl tribute, with a knife pressed to her neck. Adrian stood off to the side, weapon less, trying to evade the boy's attacks.
At home, I knelt on the ground, my body aching to save her, and watched helplessly. Eventually, Adrian was backed up against a tree. Annie was forced to her feet as the girl tribute held her arms behind her. With a sadistic smile, the boy threw his machete against Adrian's neck, decapitating him.
The screams that came from Annie were the most painful thing I've ever heard. She sobbed and she cried out for Adrian, but every noise she made was countered with another laugh from the tributes. I, too, cried with her. For her, really. All the pain she felt was equal to me. Watching her suffer; made me suffer.
The jabberjay falls to me my feet, the arrow pierced through the mutt's neck. I pick it up, unable to comprehend. That wasn't Annie...? My body is flooded with emotion as I begin to make the connection between the dead bird in my hands and the screams I heard. Behind me, Katniss speaks.
"It's all right, Finnick. It's just a jabberjay. They're playing a trick on us. It's not real. It's not your Annie." She comes beside me, looking down at the bird as well.
A trick? Not real? That sounded real. That felt real. That was Annie's voice. I shake my head. "No, it's not Annie..." I struggle to form the words. "But the voice was hers. Jabbeyjays mimic what they hear. Where did they get those screams, Katniss?"
I turn to her and the colour immediately floods from her cheeks. Her eyes flicker from mine to the ground. "Oh, Finnick, you don't think they..." She trails off.
Solemnly, I nod. "That's exactly what I think."
The boy with the machete approached Annie. Her eyes were closed and her head was bowed as she trembled in fear. Looking at the television screen, I had officially given up. My whole body had stopped functioning; every movement I made was slow and defeated. But my heart was beating faster than it ever had before. In the arena, Annie shook her head, begging the tributes to spare her, but they took no heed of her.
I pleaded with her. Begging and praying to whoever would listen.
And, through some miracle, my prayers were heard.
The machete was inches from her neck when a crack reverberated through the forest. Both of the tributes turned to the sound in time to see a massive dam to fall to pieces, followed by the largest tidal wave I've ever seen. The boy's eyes grew wide and the girl dropped Annie, both of them fleeing the wave. Annie hit the ground hard and just lay there.
I screamed at the screen. I told her to run. I told her to hide. And even though I knew she couldn't hear me, I kept trying. But, she didn't do anything. She sat there as the seconds ticked by and the wave approached. Finally, a silver parachute landed straight in front of her, just barely brushing her forehead. She sat bolt up, staring at it curiously. Cautiously, she reached for it, unfolding the small bundle of cloth until it was flat. Nothing. But it got her attention. Her brow furrowed and she looked up, finally seeing the wave that was quickly descending the hill towards her. She stood and ran.
More screams begin to sound. Katniss' head whips from side to side as a young boy's voice fills the air. I turn to her and reach for her arm. "No. It's not him." She struggles against my grip, trying to free herself, so I wrap an arm around her, hauling her to the beach. "We're getting out of here!" I desperately try to pull her to the beach, eventually she stops struggling and we run away from the flock of descending jabberjays.
Just before we reach the beach and I see Johanna and Peeta stand some distance away. Katniss, too, spots them and we run even faster. When we're but meters away from them, we hit the wall. My face talks the most of the damage and I am flung backward. I cover my bleeding nose with my hand and look up at Katniss who has her hand pressed against some invisible barrier. Peeta stands on the other side, mimicking her movements, but their hands are still separated by three inches.
More and more birds begin to arrive, landing in nearby trees, bushes, not even trying to stay concealed. The first voice I hear is Annie's and I give in immediately. I crumple to the ground, curling into a ball and pressing my hands against my ears. The noise stills seeps through, though. It echoes through my whole body. I shudder in horror and press harder on my skull.
For the next day and a half, I didn't eat, I didn't drink, I didn't move, I did nothing but hold on desperately to my sanity as Annie and the remaining three tributes tried to stay afloat. Annie, rendered completely insane after Adrian's death, was an exceptional swimmer. She swam, speaking to herself and singing as the water carried her this way and that. For once in a long time, I felt hope. Annie could win! The other tributes were not as skilled as her. One of them gave up after five hours, two of them were brutally attacked by some sea creature released by the Capitol and the last managed to find Annie before fainting from exhaustion, ultimately drowning himself. As the trumpets sounded and Annie was declared winner, a hover craft flew over head to take her away. As the claw descended and pulled her to safety, Annie began to cry.
As did I.
She was coming home! The girl I had seen for the first time just weeks ago, the girl who I had prayed for, the girl I loved... She was coming home. And I could finally meet her.
Katniss soon gives up and lies down next to me. Together we endure the horrible noises the Capitol has sent us and after what felt like a lifetime, it stopped. Peeta comes and pulls Katniss to her feet. I slowly sit up, Annie's cries still echoing in my ears, and bury my face in my hands. It was over. It was done.
But... The jabberjays had to have recorded those screams from somewhere. And even though they were gone, somewhere at sometime, Annie had been in pain.
When she finally arrived home, I met her in the plaza. She didn't recognize half of her family and almost every person had her cowering in fear. At one point she began to speak to herself. Her parents were huddled close together in front of me, speaking in low voices.
"What are we going to do?" Her mother said.
Her father glanced over at his frightened daughter. "There's an asylum farther into town. We'll send her there, hopefully she'll forget about all that happened and get better."
Her mother nodded sadly. "How long do you think it will take?"
He shrugged. "I'm not sure. All we can do is hope they will care for her."
Hearing them talk about leaving her, I stepped forward angrily. "So you're just going to get rid of her?" I shouted in the man's face. "Abandon her to some asylum and step out of her life?"
The woman glared at me. "This is none of your business."
The man nodded in agreement. "And what say have you in the matter? You're eighteen and you don't even know Annie. You don't know what's best for her."
Just then, Annie broke through the crowd of people. Her face was hidden as she ran from all the people, pleading for them to leave her alone. She ran straight into me and nearly fell over. I reached out for her, catching her arm and pulling her back up. As I righted her, she looked up at me and I waited for her to run off shrieking like she did with everyone else. But instead, the most brilliant smile lit up her face.
"Hello..." She said in a shaky voice. "I... is Annie."
I smiled back, my heart soaring. "Hello. I'm Finnick." I step back slightly.
She nodded. "Does Annie know you?..." I shook my head no. "Oh... That is strange. Annie thought she know you." Her shoulders fell a little and she noticed her parents behind her. "Oh!" She pulled back and hid her face in fear. "D-Don't hurt Annie! Annie is sorry!"
He father stepped forward. "Annie! It's me! Your father! You know me!"
Annie looked up slightly and I saw the horror flicker across her eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head slightly. "Adrian... Annie is sorry... Annie didn't mean to let you die..." She bowed her head and cried.
Her father took her by the shoulders. "Annie!" He said somewhat angrily. "Look at me! I am your father! Not Adrian!" Annie shrunk inward from his sharp voice and stepped away from him. With a look of anger, he stepped back and joined his wife.
Just then, an idea dawned on me. I turned to her parents with a look of determination. "You're right, I don't know her." I said. "But even still, I won't abandon her. I'm taking her home with me." Her mother's jaw dropped at my statement and she stepped forward to the now shaking Annie.
"You won't take my daughter!" She growled. Her husband stepped in beside her, glaring at me.
I stepped in front of Annie. "Why not? You're giving her away to an asylum!" The disgust I felt for these people is almost uncontrollable.
She looked up at me with a look of contempt. "Fine. Take her. I don't care anymore." She waves a dismissing hand at me. "Go."
And with that, I turned to Annie and guided her home.
Peeta begins to explain that it couldn't have been them, because they're needed for interviews. His reason seems weak to me, but it sends a glimmer of hope running through me. Katniss turns to me.
"Do you believe it, Finnick?" She asks me, anticipating my answer.
I open my mouth, searching for words. "I-It could be true..." I say. "Could they do that, Beetee? Take someone's regular voice and make it..." I trail off as the memory of the screams fill my mind.
Beetee jumps in. "Oh, yes. It's not even that difficult, Finnick." He places a hand on my shoulder. "Our children learn a similar technique in school."
It was strange. Annie was terrified of almost everyone in town. Her own parents – if you can call them that – couldn't come within ten feet of her. But with me, it was as if she forgot about anything... Although, she still had nightmares of them; she'd wake up calling out for Adrian or screaming in terror. All I could do was console her and assure her that she was safe. And she believed me. I made her feel safe and she made me feel whole.
My parent still disapproved. They agreed with Annie's parents that she should be put in an asylum. But I wouldn't let them. Annie wants to be here. She's happy. Sure, part of it is my desire to be with her. But I know it's what she wants, too.
I was always afraid to touch her in any way, thinking that she would feel constricted or confined... Or maybe that she would then become terrified of me as well. But, often, Annie would reach out to me, seeking my hand to hold, wanting me to hold her. She may not be completely sane, but she still understands what's happening. She still feels. And she still loves.
I've told her I love her before. Sometimes, she would just blush and duck her head. Other times, she would smile at me. But after a month of living together, she would look right back up at me and tell me she loves me, too.
When my parents found out how seriously I felt about her, they were furious. My mother would point out all the girls outside that longed to be with me, saying that they were more than willing to love me, but I was too busy spending my time with a deranged fool. I could ignore her words, I could fight back, I could defend her. But what I couldn't ignore, were the looks my father gave me.
I had always looked up to my father, he had been my idol. But ever since I brought Annie home, all he did was look down on me. During one rather heated argument with my mother, he stormed into the room and got right in my face.
"How can you love her!?" He yelled. "She doesn't understand half of what you say! No matter how many times you say you love her, she will never love you back! You doesn't know what love is!" He stood his ground as my face filled with rage. On the inside I was taken aback. How do they know what she knows and doesn't know? She still has emotions! She still feels happiness, sadness, passion, love! She knows what she feels.
I merely shook my head, stepped away from him and looked at him pitifully. "You know nothing about her. Don't act like you're better than her. You could never be as kind as she is." I picked my jacket off of the floor and turned to leave. "Don't expect me to come home." I said. And with that, I left my house and permanently moved in with Annie. Her parents refused to live with her and I stayed with her most of the time, leaving for about half of the day to spend time with my family, so it wasn't much of a change when I began to actually live there. Annie didn't even notice, if anything she seemed happier. And I did, too. I hardly spoke to my parents anymore. Only when the cameras were there did we act like a happy family. As far as anyone is concerned, we still live in one big home, under the same roof, with Annie next door.
The other girls never stopped, though. They knew I had no interest in them, but they still tried. And I played along, for the sake of the crowd and when it came time for the Hunger Games, I worked my charm on the other mentors and sponsors, working on saving my tributes. Annie didn't care much about the girls. She hardly seemed to notice and if she did, it didn't bother her. My parents were bothered, though. They were angry that I had given up the chance to marry a 'beautiful and desirable girl'. But to me, Annie was beautiful and she was all I ever needed.
But I didn't care about them anymore. If they care more about money and fame than they do their son's happiness, then they're not real parents. I loved her, and she loved me. I knew this.
Hearing Beetee's assurance, I nod solemnly, still unsure. But the idea that Annie might be safe makes my muscles relax.
The one thing I know for sure... Is that I need to get home to her.
*sigh* I really hope that there is a few FinnickxAnnie stuff in The Victors (rumoured title for the third book!!)! I'm so excited for it and can't wait to see what she has planned!
Well, thank you for reading my story! Hopefully you guys liked it, if so PLEASE review! :) And even if you didn't - review and tell me what you didn't like!
I appreaciate any type of review!
Thank you!
This has been,
xXMystXx