Thank you for all your kind reviews last week, it encourages writers to keep in plugging away. Special thanks to Historywriter2007 for her beta skills and for her invaluable input! And to savvylark for making such a gorgeous banner. ps I do not own the Hunger Games
Last Week Rye skipped town but now the question begs to be asked, Did Finnick do it? I wonder...
Finnick walked by Katniss side shaking his head. This incident was a close one for his charge. He was glad she chose to listen to his counsel and was fortunate Peeta showed up when he did. The young man always looked like he ran a marathon, flushed and out of breath, whenever he was around Katniss. Finnick watched his ward switch on her usual standoffish scowl. Why she couldn't have been like her sweet thirteen-year-old sister Primrose Finnick didn't know. There was one thing certain no matter how socially awkward, Katniss had more than just him on her side, she had favor.
With Boggs' permission Finnick was going to get rid of Rye he was conflicted because he didn't want to harm him. The odds were in his favor when Rye skipped town. He was lucky but now the Katniss had a bigger issue there were rumors she was to be fined. It wasn't an easy task to guard a girl who continuously put herself in trouble, but he couldn't do anything else until her time on this planet was done or Boggs deemed he'd completed his job. Until then he had to keep her safe as best as he could without breaking the prime directive to be vigilant.
This was his chance to gain his wings something that he hadn't been able to get. There were a few incidents here and there. One of his less than stellar moments all came at the hands of a cat.
Theodor Geisel, the young boy Finnick was assigned to, was an intelligent young boy who had a fascination with animals. He had a small black and white kitten and like all kittens it loved fish. Teddy was imaginative and along with his older sister, he would make stories about the kitten and other animals.
They were at the Zoo when the kitten that had followed them somehow ended up with a man's morning hat and jumped in the lake. Finnick tried to save the kitten, he wasn't successful, and as a result, Teddy was heartbroken. Thankfully his sister was there to comfort him, Finnick was pulled from the young boy and another angel was assigned. Three millennia later the kitten was wreaking havoc in the celestial realm. Theodor did grow up to write about cats in hats. The books were famous. But Finnick did not get credit for any of Teddy's accomplishments.
Then there was that entire incident with Napoleon, he just wanted the little guy to feel he was more than the sum of his height. Who knew the kid would try to take over the known world?
Then, of course, there was that small, tiny blackout of 2003, he leaned in on a leaver and boom there went the entire east coast of the United States. All of the angels were on heavy-duty protecting their humans that night.
Ever since then Boggs put him on cloud patrol on Jupiter. He was to count the number of clouds, the job was as exciting as watching grass grow. While he was on "assignment," every Angel he knew was promoted and went on to have magnificent adventures. For millennia Guardian Angels dedicated themselves to protecting their wards. On Earth hardly any Guardian Angels were used unless it was a special case, and Finnick considered himself lucky to have been appointed, he could have been stuck out on Jupiter forever.
Katniss, as an assignment, was his last chance. Finnick was taking this assignment very seriously if he messed up he could be stripped of his protector status and go back to being one of those Herald Angels, they were the messengers and always yapping. Though Boggs could very well make him one of those Accounting Angels, all they did was record events. From there, records is where Angels were trained when it came to mankind.
Humans were willful stubborn creatures often not realizing how their choices affected others well beyond their generation. Even more so now that humans didn't believe in the mystical realm. There was a time what Angels were very involved in humans lives. But as humans grew and developed they stopped believing and Angels were called on less and less.
As a Guardian Angel it was his responsibility to look after his ward and although she was generous and loyal he learned she was as stubborn as they came. Though he could see why Katniss needed him, the poor girl was stressed and needed someone to watch over her.
Finnick watched her interact with Primrose and her mother. He saw the unconditional love Katniss had toward her sister, there wasn't anything that Katniss wouldn't do for her. It was love that propelled the earth and all of the universe, it bred kindness, gentleness, sympathy, humility, and good will and so many other blessings.
The opposite of love was indifference and that bred a cold heart, cruelty, distrust, arrogance, hate, shallowness, greed, destruction, and every type of wrongness that caused wars, violence, and crime. Finnick had witnessed how humanity had suffered when men and women who fostered indifference in the core of their beings caused the suffering of many.
It was as he sat there that a split in the heavens opened up. The Captain of the Guardian's Boggs stepped out from the split. He called, "Finnick."
Finnick stood up from his perch.
"Come with me," Boggs ordered.
Finnick took Boggs hand as he was pulled up into the rip.
"Follow me," Boggs said.
Dutifully Finnick followed.
The tear in the fabric of time and space was a beautiful place, one in which humanity didn't see. Humans only had gotten as far as the subatomic, there were more wonderful things that the human eyes even with technology could not see nor comprehend, the universe was rife with unsolved mysteries.
They arrived and there was another slit in the fabric of time. "The head boss has decided the best way to help the girl is for her to marry."
Finnick lost his composure momentarily before he found his voice. He was expecting to be told to move over and allow another more experienced angel handle this case. "Katniss doesn't want to get married, she's relieved that option is gone."
"She's also scared out of her mind and if she has to pay a fine her future will be bleak," Boggs replied.
"So what do I do?"
"There is one person in this entire district that she could be amenable to marry."
Finnick lit up. "Who?"
"I brought you to the past so that you could see," Boggs said.
They arrived at a cropping of several brick buildings, one sat in the middle where the others were divided. Boggs held out his hand to Finnick, taking it they floated up and sat in a tree. "See that little girl right there?"
Finnick saw a little girl with twin dark braids, dressed in a red plaid dress, glossy black shoes and folded white crisp socks. She was happily speaking to her father.
"That is Katniss Everdeen, your charge," Boggs said.
Finnick was surprised, "So that's Katniss as a child?"
"Yes, watch," they both moved into a classroom. It was decorated with a Christmas tree, the teacher was watching the children sit at the carpet their bright faces aglow with innocence.
"Okay, children settle down. This year our Kindergarten Class has been chosen to do the Christmas Pageant. Who would like to try out for the lead, all you need to do is sing a song."
Finnick grinned when his little charge raised her hand.
"Good," the teacher said, "Katniss do you know a song you'd like to sing for us?"
Katniss stood from her spot, she nodded and when she began to sing, Finnick blinked he'd never heard such a pure voice. "She sounds like an angel."
"Finnick watch," Boggs said pointing to the kids assembled.
It was a hard thing to do but Finnick forced himself to look at the children. There on the carpet was a small boy with a mop of blonde curly hair and his blue eyes were wide with awe. Finnick saw the spark. "True love," he whispered.
"Exactly, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are soul mates," Boggs said, "Now come with me."
They moved forward in time, a winter like no other, it was sleeting outside and Finnick watched a little girl move around the trash bins. She collapsed next to a tree, a pen of pigs, were nearby, huddled together in the pen. Her cheeks were hollow, her hair lacked luster, her wet clothes hung from her thin frame, and the light within her eyes dimmed.
"Is that her?"
"Yes Finnick, her father has passed away, in a deadly mining accident. She's starving, her mother has lost touch with reality and if her sister doesn't eat soon she will die." Boggs whispered standing near her.
Finnick gasped, "Nobody has helped them?"
"Watch," Boggs ordered.
There was a ruckus from within the home. A young blond boy was being slapped around by his mother. Finnick blinked, "What's happening to Peeta?"
Boggs remained silent.
They watched his mother drag Peeta outside. His face was reddened by his mother's blows. This was the worst part for Finnick he wanted to intervene but Boggs gave him a warning look, he was not to interfere just observe.
"How dare you burn that bread you imbecile, you think bread grows on trees," his mother looked at the loaves he carried. "Ugh, feed them to the pigs."
Peeta's mother went inside but the boy stood outside his sight trained on Katniss. Peeta nodded but as soon as his mother was out of sight, he quickly walked toward the pigs, then with a look behind him, he threw the bread at Katniss. She quickly took the bread, glanced back at him and ran.
"She'll never forget what he did for her." Boggs shook his head instantly they were back in the present standing in front of the bakery. "The Accountants told us there is a provision in their laws that states Peeta can stand in for his brother. If you want your wings you have to get Katniss and Peeta together. They have to go to the last sponsored event together and make the declaration to choose one another in front of the delegates of the PBFM."
Boggs left Finnick at the Bakery snow began to fall in the district as Finnick made his way silently to the Everdeen household. As he stood outside he realized Charles Dickens was correct when he wrote, "A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man." Katniss and Peeta were lucky to be soulmates.
Finnick looked to the heavens, he wondered how in the world he was supposed to get his independent, feisty and gung-ho charge to admit she had feelings for Peeta Mellark and get them hitched in less than seven days. Finnick left toward the Everdeen home not noticing hijinks were occurring under his nose.
From the shadows, a cloaked figure moved through the district toward the train yards. A winter bird screeched, protesting the noise as the door the of the old abandoned railway building was opened. Lifting the lantern the figure revealed Rye huddled by a small fire.