After it All: Chapter 4
Finnick's POV:
I was laying in my temporary bed thinking about what I had to do today. Hope was probably at a park or somewhere playing with Prim. I shut my eyes for a few minutes but could not seem to fall asleep. The breakfast Hope had put on the nightstand smelled so good and I hurriedly sat up. I grabbed it and the fork and wolfed it down like I hadn't eaten in 20 years. I looked at the clock. It was already half past ten. I climbed out of bed and wobbly walked down the stairs. "Hey, sleeping beauty is awake." my mom commented. "Haha very funny." I replied sarcastically. I looked around the room and saw Tessa playing with Prim and I noticed Peeta and Hope's absence. "Where is Peeta?" I asked. "He had another freak out, so Katniss calmed him and make him take a nap." Tessa told me. I took a breath ready to ask where Hope was, but Tessa said "Hope went out, she didn't tell me where she was going."
Oh no, I thought. I knew Hope would be at the woods shooting. Refugees from the war who had gone crazy lived in the woods. I rushed out the door, still in my pajamas, and bolted to the woods. I was stopped by the fence. I hopped over it and heard a scream. I knew it was Hope's. I kept running, running toward the scream. I broke the first row of trees and tripped on a fallen branch. I landed on my shoulder and rolled redundantly. I finally stopped and a patch of shade was right beside me. I heard a mix of muffled screams and crying. I stood and walked towards the clearing, catching glimpses of what was going on. When I finally made it into the clearing, Hope was tied to a tree, with a gag in her mouth and her leg was bent at an awkward, and probably unhealthy, angle. A woman was on the other side of the clearing, crouched on the ground, her back turned to me. I walked over to her and tapped her shoulder lightly. She turned and faced me with pointed teeth. "Can I help you?" She asked, a grin growing on her face. She looked familiar. Then a lightbulb clicked. It was Enobaria from the 75th Hunger Games. "Um, yes. I was wond-" and I swung an upper cut at her face. I hit her under the chin, snapping her head back and making her fall backward. She was out cold. I shrugged and hurried over to Hope. I undid the knots, always having a mysterious talent with knots, and took off Hope's gag. Tears were streaming down her face. "Shhh, shhh." I whispered to her. "It is ok." I reassured her. She took my hand and squeezed it hard, and I squeezed back. I sat down next to her and I put my arm around her and she put her head on my shoulder, squeezing her eyes shut tight. I couldn't blame her. She was just terrorized by a crazy person and now has a shattered leg. She lifted her head and I asked her, "Are you ready for me to pick you up?" She nodded. I kept my arm around her shoulders and slid my other arm under her knees, careful not to touch her bad leg. "One. . . . Two. . . . Three." On three I picked her up and she winced and let out a small cry of pain. "Did that hurt? I'm so sorry." I told her and she shut her eyes right again. We approached the fence, and I looked for a broken section I could walk through. I finally found one and got through, but it was clear she was in a great deal of pain. I finally got her to the district 12 hospital. A nurse met me there. "Hi, wha-" she stopped, in shock of Hope. "Come on, bring her in here." She told me, worry clear in her voice. The door was marked with ER standing for emergency room. The nurse shooed me out and shut the door as other nurses and a doctor went in. I rushed home, picked up Prim from a startled Tessa and left again without an explanation. Back to the hospital I went, this time with Prim in my arms. When I got back, I was allowed to go into Hope's room, and I found that she was asleep with her leg wrapped up and an IV in her arm. I sat in the chair by her bed and played with Prim. "Mommy?" Prim asked. "Shhh. Mommy is sleeping." I told her quietly. "Mommy is hurt." I added, erasing that curious look on her face. Prim eventually got bored, so I took her to the kids room, filled with toys and games and little picture books. Prim picked one up and brought it over to me. It read "The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein." Prim climbed onto my lap and I began reading to her one of my childhood favorites:
Once there was a tree
And she loved a little boy.
And every dat the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make then into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
And swung from her branches
And eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said 'Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy'
'Im too big to climb and play,' the boy said.
'I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money.
Can you give me some money?'
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time...
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."
And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.
And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something...
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry..."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.
I realized that I don't want Prim to grow up. I want her to stay young forever. I loved her and Hope, and our family was together and I was happy.
Hey so this might be the last chapter :'( but we are not sure yet so if we do not post in the next month or so on this story you will know that we have finished. Hopefully there will be one last chapter (or 2 if I can persuade the other half of this partnership) but we will keep you posted if we do! Anyways sorry for the wait #sorrynotsorry #justkidding but seriously 6th grade is being mean like seriously I barley have time to edit and (lets say her name is pink haha) pink barley has time to write. UUUGGGGGHHH! WELL ANYWAYS ( WHY IS THE CAPS LOCK STILL ON!) make (fixed it) sure to read and review our other stories we will let you know about the Divergent fanfic!
