Chapter 04

Finnick had won the games. Despite all that was against him, despite his poor odds, with him being one of the youngest of all the tributes, he had won. And he was coming home. Annie stared blankly at the screen, even if it had gone black several hours ago. Her father had tried rousing her out of her trance, but to no use. Really, Annie had gotten used to the idea that he would be gone forever; she would never be seeing him again. But he had won. The moment he had killed the final tribute standing in his way, he had been picked up by a big hovercraft, taken out of the arena. And now, he was somewhere in the Capitol, being poked and prodded and perfected to be shown in front of all Panem. The victor of the 65th Hunger Games. Annie found herself wondering when she would be seeing him again, how long it would take before he could come back home. Before he could come back home to her, and to district 4.

Time passed, although it passed all too slowly for Annie's liking. Yes, she saw Finnick on TV every day, being interviewed, being given his crown, being shoved around as the Capitol citizens put their greedy hands on him. But he didn't look like the boy she knew, not the Finnick she had ran into that day on the beach a year ago. He looked haunted, his green gaze veiled with a dark curtain. But his smiles, and how he spoke showed nothing of the nightmares Annie knew were haunting him in his sleep. To the Capitol, he was the perfect victor. Young, healthy, handsome and articulate. There was no surprise when he was announced one of the favourite victors of all time. Not when he was acting so chivalrous, so brave, and oh so charming. He had the citizens of the Capitol at his feet, offering to give him everything they owned just to talk to him. Even if everyone could see the young boy, only fourteen of age, being all happy when interviewed, Annie knew better. She could see that the things he had seen and done in the arena were haunting him, that he was struggling. Because she knew him, probably better than he knew himself, as he did with her. And now, she could tell from the latest interview, that he needed to be coming home. Home so that she could help him deal with his problems.

The day had finally come, and Annie was sat waiting outside Finnick's house, knowing that the train station would be filled with both reporters from the Capitol, and eager people from the district wanting to get a glance of their victor, the boy who had brought them so much pride this year. But from her seat on the stairs, she could see the train, and she knew, that if Finnick wanted to see her, he would easily find her sitting there. The train was late though, unlike the Capitol, and the wind was a chilly breeze in the late summer sun. Annie wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them close to her chest as she sat, gaze glued to the train station where the train would soon roll in. And soon enough, the shiny metal worked its way through the trees, coming to a halt with a loud shriek from the tracks. And the crowd went crazy, screaming and yelling his name. Finally, he climbed out of the train, dark circles under his eyes hidden underneath a layer of make-up, his hair ruffled up and shinier than every before. No doubt a result from the Capitol treatment he had been given while there, while being interviewed. He waved and he smiled, greeting the people who had come to meet him, saying hello to his friends and acquaintances from school. His parents, both crying of happiness enveloped him in his arms, her mother sobbing into his shirt. If Annie had been closer, she would have heard her words, but instead she watched her lips forming word upon word, no doubt telling him of how proud she was, of how happy she was that he had come back. But Finnick seemed to be looking elsewhere, searching.

His gaze finally landed on her, and Annie simply nodded her head, her own green eyes glistening with tears. She could hardly believe he was back, could hardly wrap her head around the fact that he was still alive, even if she had seen him on the screen back home. But he was here, and he was alive. And knowing that he was overwhelmed Annie more than she would have ever thought. With her one hand, she brushed away a few stray tears trickling down her cheeks, and after that, she waved at him. Before Finnick was swept away by his parents, he waved back, a ghost of a smile on his face. Finnick had kept his promise after all.

Annie didn't see him the day he came home, or the day after that, or the day after that. And she couldn't understand why she hadn't seen him. She would go by his house every day, but his mother told her he didn't feel right having company, and to come back another day. Surely it wasn't something she had done, or said. Annie already knew what was wrong. Facing her would mean he was going to have to talk about the arena, and Finnick wasn't ready for that. Not yet. So when the fourth day came around, without having seen him, Annie found herself driving herself mad inside the house. So she grabbed hold of the net she was currently working on, and also Finnick's. She had been keeping it with her at all time, the only piece of him she had to hold on to. Knowing that this was the only thing she had of his had kept her sane while he had been the arena. Annie walked to her tree by the beach, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw him sitting there, fiddling with a piece of rope in his fingers. Her heart clenched, and she fought the urge to run over to him, enveloping him in her small arms, and instead she walked over and sat down beside him, gazing out at the deep green of the ocean.

"I brought your net," she said after minutes of silence, passing him the knotted rope, but he didn't take it. And so she put it down in the sand between his legs before resuming the silence, only the sound of the waves crashing in on over the rocks, the birds squeaking as they sped across the blue sky. His breathing was shallow, as if he was fighting the urge to cry, his fingers continuously making the same knot over and over again, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. Annie sighed, and took up her net, continuing her work in silence. Maybe he didn't need to talk, maybe he just wanted someone to be there for him, in silence. Annie could be that for him, just like he had been that person for her in the past.

Hours passed, and Annie was tying her final knot to her net, and once she finished she folded it neatly, placing it beside her in the sand, her arms moving to wrap around her legs.
"You know, you don't have to talk about the arena. We can just talk about what we always talk about. And you said you would finish your net," Annie whispered, and for the first time in hours, Finnick turned to look at her. The grey dullness of his eyes took her by surprise, the green seemingly gone from his orbs. He only looked at her for about a minute, before turning back, taking the net up, and with shaking fingers he started tying knots, just as if they'd been tying knots the day before. He hadn't forgotten how to, even in his time away from home. At least he was doing something, instead of staring blankly out at the ocean. And Finnick worked on his net, while Annie searched the beach with her eyes, sitting in silence beside him. Being there for him. Just like a best friend should do.

Several days passed, and every single day, after school, Annie would go to the beach, finding Finnick sitting by the tree, carefully tying his knots. He had made progress in the few days, but it didn't seem like his heart was in it. But today, unlike the other days when Annie had gone to see him, she wasn't patient like she had been. She was angry now, pissed that he hadn't spoken a single word. Stomping over to the tree, she stopped in front of him, staring at him.
"Finnick, I know you've been through hell, but are you just going to keep ignoring me like this?" she demanded, her hands placed firmly on her hips. Finnick didn't respond. In her desperation to get him to talk, she groaned in annoyance, turned on her heel and walked out into the water. A place she had never ventured without him.
"Fine, I'll just take a swim then," she called over her shoulder, walking until the water reached her stomach. It was cold, colder than usual, and Annie couldn't swim. But she kept walking, slowly, the water steadily rising to her elbows, to her shoulders, and to her neck. Standing on her toes was her only means to keep above the surface, the waves splashing into her face.
"Annie!" she heard him calling, and she smiled to herself. Finally, a reaction. Taking in a deep breath, she descended into darkness, the water enveloping her, and once again she heard him calling for her, his voice drowning in the water around her. It took him just a few seconds to reach her, hoisting her back up above the surface, where she gasped for air, coughing. It was a foolish thing to do, all to get his attention, but it had worked.
"What are you thinking, Annie? You could've drowned," Finnick scolded her, pulling her with him to more shallow water, and once there he released her, glaring at her, some of the green spark in his eyes back.
"I was fine, Finn, you're the one panicking," she said, shaking her head and pulling her brown tangles of hair out of her face. "About time you talked to me. Were you going to ignore me forever?" she asked.
Finnick looked absolutely stunned by her trick to get him to speak, his eyes wide as he stared at her.
"You did all that just to get me to talk to you?" he asked, his voice smaller than usual.
"Yes, I did. And it worked." Finnick glared at her, and shook his head, moving past her to go back onto the beach, and Annie sighed in frustration.
"Teach me, Finn."
"Teach you what?" he replied shortly, not turning back to look at her.
"Teach me how to swim." That had him stop dead in his tracks, and he turned slowly to face her, his eyes narrowed as he regarded her. Trying to figure out whether or not she was joking, no doubt.
"After a year of refusing, you want to learn how to swim. Now?" Annie nodded, and let herself slide back down in the water, the surface tickling around her neck.
"Teach me how to swim, Finn. I want you to teach me how to swim. Like you promised."

That broke the silence between them. The mention of a promise made, someone needing him once more. Annie needing him. And for the first time since he won the games, the smile on his face wasn't one fabricated to charm Capitol citizens, but the warm and kind smile belonging to Finnick Odair. The Finnick Odair Annie knew and cared for. Her best friend. With her demand for him to teach her to swim, she brought him out of his nightmare and back to real life. A life untainted by the deaths in the arena, and the people he had killed. This was his life, in district 4, happy, teasing and annoying Annie to no end about all the things he did better than her. This was his life, not the one he lived while in the Capitol.
"Try not to drown, will you?" he chuckled, and Annie nodded eagerly as Finnick swam towards her.

"You wouldn't let me drown. Because you promised once that nothing bad would ever happen to me."