Disclaimer: Annie, Finnick, and the various other characters that appear in this story are not mine. They belong to Suzanne Collins. The song "Falling Slowly" is also not mine (no matter how many times I perform it), and they belong to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (aka The Swell Season)
Part Six: One week later
Finnick couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his stomach and the bitter taste in his mouth as the car drove towards the New York "department" of Capitol Records. For the first time in five years, Finnick would be meeting his ex-band members, the people he thought he could trust the most and count as family.
Well, he was obviously wrong.
They had dumped him into rehab and then proceeded to never see his face again. Some friends. Finnick reeled in his anger as they pulled to a stop in front of the building.
"We're here, sir," the driver said.
"Yeah, I can see that," Finnick said bitterly as he stared at the familiar building. He got out of the car and headed inside, pulled on his backpack.
"Hello sir, may I help you?" the secretary at the front desk asked as she spared in a glance. Figures no one would recognize him now. When he was younger, he looked much, much different. He had more of that glazed druggie look and a stupid haircut. Also a bunch of tattoos that he had gotten removed two years ago.
"Yeah, my name's Finnick Odair. I have a meeting with Snow," he informed her with a fake smile on his face. The girl's eyes widened in recognition.
"Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Odair," she apologized fervently. "Please forgive me for not recognizing you. President Snow is waiting in his office for you."
"Thanks," he said and nodded at her once before heading to the elevator. He pressed the "up" button and, not even five seconds later, the doors opened, and revealed Johanna Mason, Gale Hawthorne, Cashmere, and Gloss. They all looked sort of shocked at his appearance. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he stepped into the elevator.
'Well, this is going to be an awkward ride up,' he thought.
Annie Cresta took a deep breath as she waited for Dr. Everdeen to return with the latest test results. She knew she had some sort of illness, but she didn't know (a) what is was, (b) how life-threatening it would be, and (c) if it could be treated. She was nearly shaking with fear, wondering what she would have to do. She had too much to life for. Finnick, her parents, her friends…. Her music, her aspirations and dreams that never got fulfilled.
"Annie," a voice called. She looked up and met the somber eyes of Dr. Everdeen.
"What's the result?" she asked in a small voice.
"Well…we don't know what it is," the doctor replied. "Whatever it is, it originated from your lungs and is spreading through your body fast. I have never seen anything like this before in my life." Well, there was her answer for question a.
"Is it…life-threatening is it?"
"I can't tell yet, but I suggest that you get lots of rest. Perhaps quit your job and just…live life."
Annie deflated. Quit her job? Her job was the only way she had a social life. Well, besides Finnick. What was her purpose in the world if she didn't have a job?
"I have to quit my job?" she asked, hoping the doctor might change her mind.
"I believe that is best for you, Annie," the doctor said firmly. "We're going to be doing a lot of tests on you for the next few weeks, and it'll be better for you if you just rest afterwards."
Annie sighed and nodded, accepting her fate.
"We're going to try hard to find out what it is and treat it, Annie."
"Thank you, Doctor," Annie said, standing up. The doctor shot her a sympathetic look.
"It'll be alright, Annie. I promise."
The ride up to Snow's office was filled with awkward tension and silence, just like Finnick thought it would be, but then Johanna interrupted the silence by demanding,
"Are you clean?"
Finnick turned to her. "What?"
"Are you clean? Or are you still the same old guy we knew five years ago?" she repeated, her voice harsh.
"I'm clean, okay? Have been for a while now. Which you would know if you had contacted me at least once in the past five years," Finnick shot back. Johanna just shut her mouth after that and then decided to glare daggers at him. Finnick ignored her piercing gaze and watched the numbers on the screen slowly creep up to 20.
The doors opened with a ding, and Finnick felt free as he walked out of the restricting elevator.
"Ah, welcome," the gravelly voice of Coriolanus Snow greeted them. "Finnick, how are you?"
"Fine, sir," Finnick replied.
"Johanna, nice to see you again."
"Wish I could say the same," she hissed at the older man. Snow grinned and then turned to Cashmere.
"Ah, Cashmere. Congratulations on your new clothing line. I'm happy to hear that it's been highly successful," he said cheerfully. Cashmere just smiled politely.
"Now, Gale, Johanna. Congratulations on your wedding. Sorry I couldn't come."
"You weren't even invited," Johanna bit out while Gale just nodded once at Snow.
"Gloss….well…I wish there was something I could congratulate you on, but you haven't exactly done anything in the past five years so…."
A flash of hatred and hurt flashed across said man's face, and Finnick couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Gloss. Gloss had always been the outcast of the group, the odd man out. Finnick had tried to include him as much as possible, but Snow vetoed any ideas of that.
"Now, Finnick, I really liked your new single that you sent me," Snow continued. "What's it called?"
"Um, 'Falling Slowly'," Finnick replied, conflicted on if he should feel happy or not about that.
"And who's the charming young lady that's singing with you?" Snow questioned with a smirk on his face.
"Just a friend."
"Hm, that's nice," Snow said absently. "Anyways, here's your schedules for the next two weeks. You're going to be recording your album, and on the day it's released, you will be performing at Madison Square Garden, where you will announce your world tour-"
"WHAT?" everyone in the room, besides Snow, collectively yelled. "WHAT WORLD TOUR?"
Snow smiled at them sadistically. "Why, the world tour of your reunion, of course. If we're going to let The Tributes go, we might as well let them go with a bang! Which means…world tour."
"This is bull!" Johanna raged, knocking a lamp off Snow's desk. It shattered on the marble floor. "You never said ANYTHING about a world tour! I agreed to simple reunion, not a FUCKING TOUR OF THE FUCKING WORLD!" Gale grabbed Johanna's arm and dragged her back a little, his face not showing any emotion.
Finnick didn't how to feel about this. He had just wanted to do a simple album, a concert or two, and then he would settle back into his quiet life with Annie.
Annie….
"You're WHAT?" Seneca Crane asked as he stared Annie down. She shuffled uncomfortably under her boss's stern gaze.
"I am…resigning from my job," she repeated.
"Why?" he demanded.
"I'm…having some health problems."
"And that means that you can quit?"
Annie handed him a letter. "This is from my doctor. It describes my illness and whatnot." Crane ripped the envelope open and stared at the letter suspiciously.
"Fine," he said. "I'll give you your paycheck tomorrow. Come in the afternoon." Annie nodded.
"Thank you."
As she walked out the door, she ran into Katniss.
"Hey," Katniss greeted her. "What's up?"
"I quit," Annie said. Katniss frowned.
"What? Why?"
"Come to my house tonight, I'll tell you everything."
"Alright. I'll be there at seven, with boxed wine."
"Wow, Odair, I didn't know you could write a song like this," Johanna remarked after listening to the demo that Finnick and Annie recorded.
"Thanks," Finnick replied, handing out sheet music. "Alright. So, Johanna…you know how to play violin right?" Johanna nodded.
"I'm a bit rusty, but I think I can manage this," she said, picking up her sheet music and flipping through the pages.
"Good, now…Gale. You're going to be on guitar with me," he said, handing Gale his part. Gale, a man of few words, just nodded and started strumming the cords. "Cashmere, you're going to do An- I mean…you'll be playing piano and singing harmonies with me." She raised an eyebrow at his blunder and took the music from his hand. "And Gloss…you'll be playing violin with Johanna." Gloss nodded.
"Who's Annie," Johanna demanded. Finnick froze. He could feel the curious eyes of all his band members on him.
"Just a friend," he mumbled. But I do wish it would be something more….
Johanna scoffed. "Yeah, a friend you write a love song for."
"Drop it, Jo."
"Come on, it's not like we're ever going to meet the chick. Tell me."
"Fine! She's more than a friend," Finnick admitted. "At least to me."
Johanna raised a delicate eyebrow. "Explain."
"Annie's not exactly the most…trusting person. And we've only known each other for a few weeks, at the most. I can't just…blurt out my feelings like that. It might…scare her…."
"That's a load of bull, and you know it, Odair."
Finnick cracked a smile at that. "It makes a lot more sense in my head, okay?"
"Whatever," Johanna snorted. "But listen, just…reveal your feelings to her. If she likes you back, she likes you back. YOLO it and all that shit."
Finnick facepalmed. "Never say that word again, Johanna." The two then burst into laughter.
Finnick felt much lighter than before. It was almost like…they were all a family again.
One week later
Annie laughed with Katniss while sipping on her glass of boxed wine.
She had just gotten back from a stressing and tearful doctor's appointment, and was told the result.
It was a rare disease. They didn't know how she got it. It doesn't seem to show any physical or mental effect. It is life-threatening, and she was very far along in it.
"It progresses through your body, eats it alive," Dr. Everdeen had told her. "You wouldn't feel it until the very end, though. That's when it's reached its peak and…well."
"I'll die," Annie had filled in for her.
And so, she called Katniss over, told her the news, and her good friend had brought box wine to cheer her up. They were having a sleepover.
"So…have you told Finnick yet?" Katniss asked her. Annie's smile dropped and she sighed, her body deflating a little.
"No," she admitted. "He's busy with his band's comeback, and I don't to disturb him. Besides, I have so much to say…."
"Oh really, like what?" Katniss asked cheekily. Annie's smile came back as she laughed.
"But seriously," Katniss said somberly. "What if it's too late? And you haven't told him?"
"I don't know…." Annie said, tears prickling her eyes.
"Maybe you should…I don't know...write him a letter?" Katniss said. "Just in case, you know?"
"That's a good idea."
Annie stayed up until five in the morning , finishing her letter to Finnick.
Finnick, Gale, Johanna, Gloss, and Cashmere were preparing to go on stage. It was the day of their concert in Madison Square Garden, and the day they would announce their world tour.
Finnick regretted the fact that Annie would have to find out about the tour in the news or whatnot, because he had been too busy to even send her a TEXT about it.
"Are you ready?" Finnick asked his friends.
"No," Johanna said. "Do you think that we could skip the whole part about the world tour? Or would Snow murder us in our sleep?"
"He would announce it for us if we don't," Cashmere said. Johanna sighed.
"Guys, you're on stage in ten," the stage manager said to them as he walked past. They nodded at him. Finnick's phone rang in his pocket.
"Shit, forgot to put this in the dressing room," he murmured, quickly answering the call. "Hello?"
"Finnick? It's Katniss," a slightly rushed woman's voice said over the phone.
"Katniss? What's wrong?" he demanded, worry filling him. Annie….
"It's Annie. She's in the hospital. She's not looking so good…."
Finnick paled.
A/N: If you haven't guessed already…. The next chapter is going to be the last chapter :'(. I'm thinking of doing a bonus chapter, but I haven't decided yet. Anyways, sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes!
Thanks to: ExquisiteSinner, CusCus81, RandomPotterhead (Guest), Guest for reviewing/favoriting/following!
Replies:
Guest: Thanks!
RandomPotterhead (Guest): I've never seen "A Walk to Remember", but I think my cousin has. I'll have to ask her about it. I just loved everything in Mockingjay Part One! I can't wait until Part Two, even though…you know…. :'(
CusCus81: Spoilers ;)
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Until next time,
~ AsTheLastPetalFalls ~