It was night, a night in which the moon was full, shining with a ghostly yet romantic radiance. Finnick Odair sat there, a blond boy of nineteen years, upon the sand, staring at the ocean. The ocean gleamed in the dark.
After winning the Hunger Games half a decade earlier, Finnick learned to enjoy the simple things in life, and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. One day, he won't be able to enjoy them, so he concluded that it was best to love life to the fullest.
So, there he was, sitting on the sad, staring off into God's ocean. Finnick heard footsteps behind him, causing his little PTSD to kick in, and turned around. A couple of feet behind him, a girl stood. She had brown hair, which was not uncommon in District 4, or anywhere else as a matter of fact, and green eyes, which were exclusive to District 4. She was the last survivor of the last Hunger Games, and obviously, she had not come out of the Games unscathed. Diagnosed with a severe case of PTSD, the girl, whom Finnick mentored, often had the look of a poor, caged puppy who had seen all its littermates die.
"Oh, hey Annie," Finnick said while slightly waving. But Annie didn't answer. "Annie," he asked, but the girl did not reply. Then, Finnick looked at Annie's eyes; she wasn't looking at Finnick, but at the ocean. She looked serene, a look Finnick hadn't actually seen Annie look this way since, well, forever. She's stuck in her own world, probably her best option in this world, Finnick thought as he turned and resumed his ocean watching. After a while, Finnick felt the wind moving slightly beside him and a little shuffling noise. Annie was staring right at him, right in the eye. Okay, Finnick thought, keep calm, Finnick/ It's just Annie. This isn't the Games, you're not stuck in the Games, she isn't going to hurt you.
"Hi, Finnick," Annie whispered, nearly inaudible. But, with his ever so sensitive ears (which was a result of the Hunger Games), he nevertheless heard her greeting, and replied also with a hello. Annie then proceeded to close her eyes tightly like a child would when seeing a scary scene from a horror movie, and put her hands over her ears.
"Finnick?" Annie asked.
"Yes, Annie?" Finnick replied.
"How? How do you get rid of this feeling of guilt? From the Games?" She asked, closing her eyes even tighter.
"Well, Annie, just pray. Praying, do it sounds like it won't help, it helps a lot, because God forgives. Trust me, He's helped me a lot.," Finnick said, smiling a soft smile.
"Will He help me, too?" Annie asked, slowly opening her eyes.
"Sure He will!" Finnick said and his smile grew bigger on his face. Annie let her hands down to her sides and smiled. She stared off to the ocean again, the serene look back. She was in her world again. Finnick lay in the sand, arms outstretched, now staring at the beautiful night sky, looking at the stars. Finnick didn't know when he dozed off, lying there in the sand on that beach, with calming smell of salt in the air, but when he woke up, he felt a weight on his arm. Finnick, not yet opening his eyes, tried to shake off the weight, but it seemed to refuse to move. Then he heard breathing next to him, and noticed that the weight on his arm felt soft, like hair. Finnick suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head, and found Annie's head on his arms, her face toward him. Finnick, who was bewildered, was about to wake up Annie, but then remembered she had PTSD, and didn't want to scare her.
So, Finnick Odair stayed there, with a traumatized girl on his arm, staring at the now light blue sky. Praise God, he thought as he smiled at how blue the sky was, and at how the sun shined on his face with a delightfully warm heat. The sand was like silk beneath him, and the smell of the salty ocean made him feel bubbly. There was no panic, no fear of being in the Games, because this was home.
Finnick looked at Annie, at felt something pull at his heart strings. This girl probably feels the same way about this place, that's why she's able to sleep so soundly here, he thought.
After a while, Annie started to stir. Eventually, she opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Finnick. She quickly got up.
"Oh, sorry Finnick. Well, bye!" Annie said, as she quickly ran off, out of Finnick's sight.
"That was... strange," Finnick said, as he to got up, and walked on the beach.
