(A/N: I'm really sorry for the late update ;-; it's been a busy week but I'm up and running again. So this is the chapter in which we find out what Finnick was giving Annie, I hope you like it. So please, enjoy and feel free to review ^.^)
I watch as he tugs the black box from his pocket and my instant reaction his to hole my breath. He smiles at me sheepishly, and holds the box out to me, like a small boy handing someone a flower, and I keep forgetting that Finnick is only nineteen.
I take it from him, it's light and soft, he waits for me to open in, but I feel too scared to do so, but with his waiting eyes and baited breath, I flick the box open, the inside is a soft coral blue fabric, fitted perfect to the box and inside was a necklace.
It was on a silver chain, and the shell was a smooth angel wing, a silver clip on its side, I press down on it, popping open the shells my eyes widened slightly. It was a small picture, but I knew about it instantly. Finnick and I stood together, both of us in our swimsuits, the beach behind us and the sun shining down, we were drenched from swimming, my hair fell in my eyes, Finnick's arm wrapped around my waist.
My father had been adamant that there was at least one surviving picture of Finnick and I.
I raise a hand to my lips, covering both them and my gasp, I look up at Finnick and then down at the necklace. Finnick seems to be standing there awkwardly beside me, he looks at me nervously, chewing his bottom lip.
"Do you like it?" He asks me, and I nod my head vigorously, tracing the picture with my finger. He comes a little closer to me, and tilts my head up. "Can I put it on?" He asks me, and I giggle and nod, handing him the box and lifting my hair up and turning around, so it was my back facing him. I at first feel the shell touch me, then I hear the clip of the chain, the cool metal now touching my warm skin. I turn back to him with a raised brow.
"How do I look?" I ask him sweetly, and he pecks my lips lightly, his cold hands touching my war waist, tugging me closer to him lightly.
"Beautiful," he breaths, and looking at him, I wonder what I have started, we have been like this for the last six months, and I wondered what would happen to him if I died, would he manage to move on? Or would he be stuck like he is, to head over heels to touch the ground.
After moments of staring at each other, I turned my head, nodding towards the door of my room.
"We should go, people will wonder where we are," I whisper, and he frowns, pressing his forehead against mine, our lips inches from one and other. I look up at him, and I feel bad that I've caused him to frown, even a little. I wrap my arms around his waist, so we are practically touching.
"Can't we just stay here?" He asks, and I laugh slightly.
"Weren't you the one who told me we had to go?" I ask back, and he just grins and I scream as he lifts me and tosses me onto the bed, the soft fabric bouncing around us, he lies above me, and all I can do is laugh as he kisses my cheeks and jaw.
"Hmm...we can make up an excuse...something heroic and believable." I shake my head and pressed against his chest, so he had to break away from me.
"And miss our first dinner with, well everyone? I don't think Justice will forgive that," I chastise and Finnick sighed, flipping over lying on the bed beside me.
"Fine, but you owe me one Cresta," he says as he offers me his hand, I roll my eyes and take it.
"Wouldn't dream of forgetting it, Odair."
Xxx
The table was quiet. It seemed not much had to be said, even from Justice, so I felt the need for sound. Yes, the food was beautiful, and tasted like heaven, but that was not what I hungered for. I needed the sound of happiness and talking, the way that there is at home, when we eat dinner together, we were supposed to be a team, it was time we started acting like one.
"So Justice," I begin, knowing he was the easier out of the entire table to start a conversation with. He glances up at me, and then I realise that I hadn't actually thought of a conversation starter, so I point at the food with my fork, trying to emphasis the point. "This, what is it?" I ask, indicating the meat. He grins largely at me, and cuts a slice of his own up neatly, and lifting it up on his fork at eye level.
"This, this is chicken, very common in the Capitol, I wish they gave us better food on the District trains, but who am I to complain?" He says as he takes a bite, and I wonder what he meant by better food. It wasn't that we weren't well off in District Four in fact we were one of the richer Districts of Panem, but still, we didn't have food this good.
"Yes, who are you to complain," I hear Tiel snarl, and my eyes flicker up to look at him. I narrow my eyes at him, and sit back. Placing my fork down, I folded my arms over my chest.
"Do you have to be so rude?" I ask, and Tiel looks at me like I've just committed some sort of crime, his face twists into a frown, and he clicks his tongue at me.
"Well, what do you expect Annie, they live in luxury and then have a cheek to complain because their food is too common while we live off a similar meal each week? We give up what we earn while they don't work a single second?" He growls, he's right of course. The Districts did work so the Capitol didn't have to lift a finger, but they didn't live the way we lived, and what we found difficult, it was completely difficult to how they lived. I couldn't help feel sympathy for people who lived in the Capitol.
"I don't think you get it Tiel, a little compassion can go a long way," I tell him, and he just glares at me, I can feel the other's at the table look at me but my eyes are fixed on Tiel, who leans forward, and clasps his hands on the table in front of him, he looks at me dead on, in fact, he doesn't look at anyone else.
"Tell that to our bastard president," he whispers to me, and his voice is deadly, I lean back slightly, and I find myself thinking he is being stupid and stubborn, the fact that I wouldn't be able to even utter those words were one things, but to hear someone actually call President Snow a bastard, well, that was beside the point. I hear a thump, and turn to Mags, who folds her arm, and then gesture's vaguely to Tiel, and once again starts to move her hands quickly, and I blink. I knew what she had said, she had told Tiel to hold his tongue, however, Tiel looks confused, and I realise he hadn't been around Mags long enough to know what she was saying when she used hand signals.
"Look, I don't know you, and I don't know what you've said lady, but butt out," A slam on the table let's me know that Tiel has said the wrong thing to the wrong person, and Finnick is now standing, his jaw tight. I hadn't seen him this angry before, slowly I stood, walking around the table to him, and placing a hand on his arm, he didn't flinch, but he didn't seem to register the touch either, instead his seething eyes were only on Tiel.
"You don't dare talk to her like that, Tiel, she is what is standing in your way between death and life in that arena, you understand me! I will not ever hear you talk in such a manner to Mags, so-"
"Finn," I tell him softly, and he turns to look at me, and I shake my head at him, Finnick looks back toward Tiel, and with narrow eyes, he fists his hands on the table.
"I promise you Tiel, that if Annie had not been hear I would have thrown you off this train right now! You have some respect for your mentors, have some respect for Mags, God knows you need it!" Finnick pushes himself away from the table, and doesn't look at me as he leaves, I turn to Tiel and shake my head, almost ashamed to be in the same place as him. I sigh, and turn back to my own seat, easing myself into it, the table all look at me, but instead I turn to Mags.
"I'm sorry," I tell her, she gestures the sign to tell me all is okay, and I shake my head, placing my hands on top of hers. "It isn't okay, Mags, Tiel won't apologies because he's too proud, Finn stormed off and he won't do it, and to be fair Justice played no part in it, so I suppose it's only left for me to apologise." She shakes her head, and moves her hands underneath mine and grabs my wrists, the way she would do when she taught me silly things like learning to dance, she gives me the look that she accepts my apology and I smile, dipping my head.
"Thank you," I whisper.
