My last chapter was a little rushed, going to slow things down a little. Read and review.
"Second bedroom on the left," Haymitch say abruptly "Oh and Katniss…be gentle, we lost Annie and the child."
I processed that information as I walked down the hall. Annie and her unborn child dead, I didn't even want to know how. It was just another death, there had been too many in this unfinished war and there would be plenty more to come, but not at the hands of the Capitol, at the hands of me. My mind began to form a plan, predicting my next move.
First, I would find out who was in the High Council of Panem, from there I would find out who was leading the rebellions in the Capitol now, and what the situation was there. Second, I would make sure that my family and the remainder of District 12 were under high security and under no threat what so ever. And finally, I will go to the houses and hiding place of each of the bastards and make them suffer. But at this time, I needed to find out what Haymitch believed Finnick knew.
I paused at the door and knocked lightly.
"Haymitch? I'm running low on…" I opened the door and walked in "Oh Katniss, I'm so pleased to see you."
He looked awful, but still as beautiful as ever. He had scars all down his arm and shirtless torso; the wolves had raked their claws down him everywhere. Everywhere except his face, in some amazing miracle his face had escaped the wreckage. He didn't look sad, but I could see that his smile hadn't quite reached his eyes. He jumped up from his desk which was filled with papers which hosted scribbled diagrams, it looks like Finnick is out to get the thugs too.
He strode over the room and embraced me hard, I hugged him back, taking in his warmth and how he pressed his head into my hair. Then he let go.
"I was wondering how long Haymitch was going to keep me locked up here with no company."
I laughed then frowned in confusion "How are you Finnick?"
He smiled "Oh don't ask me how I am, I'm like you, I've feel what you've felt a hundred times over. But we all have to move on, and stop it from happening again."
He seemed wiser somehow. I studied his features, making sure he wasn't pretending, he seemed very sincere.
"You don't have to treat me like I'm about to break Katniss," he smiled and bent down to look in my eyes "After all, I should be the one asking how you are, you're sister…I was horrified when I heard, and Gale, he's not here…and then Peeta is a little rocky isn't he since the Capitol. Sorry, I shouldn't point these things out to you, you probably think enough about it already."
He went to turn and pull out a chair for me but I gripped his arm.
"It's okay to talk about it Fin."
He smiled at the use of his shortened name, and took my hand for comfort.
"I know, and I know that she's not coming back, we have to move on from these things, we cannot afford to wallow in times like these. We need all the happiness we can get; she wouldn't want me to be sad."
Now I was really confused. Hadn't Haymitch told me to be gentle, that he was in a state? I shook my head and went and sat down on the bed. Finnick followed me and sat down.
"Gale's not in District 2…"
Finnick's eyebrows rose.
"Where is he then?" he asked cautiously suspecting the worst.
I smiled "He's here in District 12, he came home."
He grinned "I'm so happy for you, you've got your best friend back." Then he paused "Katniss…I know you may have enough on already, but I could use a good friend, would you be that for me?" I nodded "After all," he winked and slid up to me, trying to make me feel uncomfortable like he used to "We are good friends anyway…"
I stood up and he laughed.
"None of that, Finnick!"
He lay back laughing, and I carried on joking to make the laughter last longer, of course it must have been a while since he'd laughed. I flopped down onto the bed laughing myself. He propped himself up onto his elbow and faced me.
"It's good to have you around Katniss." he tucked my hair behind my ear and I smiled.
"It's good that you're alright Finnick. I thought we'd lost you." Then I frowned "I don't quite understand though, I believed you were dead." Then I looked down "I'm so sorry that I left you."
He took my hand "Katniss, I'm quite glad you did! Gale did the right thing dragging you away, there was not enough time. You needed to get to the square, and that meant leaving people behind."
"Tell me about the tunnels…" I whispered.
He sighed and led on his back "It was dark, really dark. I thought I was dead myself, I wasn't sure where I was, or what I was doing, I just remember the pain." He closed his eyes "I was certain that the dogs had torn me limb from limb, and they almost did. If you hadn't thrown the bomb in I wouldn't have made it." He smiled at me again "There was a claxon half way through the attack, just like in the games, and then the dogs were gone. I think that Snow knew you weren't there."
"That's awful, oh Finnick I'm so sorry." I sighed "All of this is my fault, if only I had eaten those berries in the 74th, none of this would have happened."
He sat up quickly "Are you mad? Of course it would have happened." He took my chin in his hands "The rebellion had already started before you even entered the 74th, it was just an excuse to go public quicker. You were the signal that the rebels needed. You were what we had all been waiting for. You freed me, us, from our Capitol controlled lives."
I stared at him for a few seconds, processing what he'd said. I didn't have a reply and he was still hold of my chin, not hard, gently so I could move away. I stared at him and he was staring back, he began to move his head closer to mine. A momentary panic came over me, I didn't quite know what he was going to do.
Suddenly Haymitch burst in and we jumped away from each other.
"Jesus Katniss! You've already got two men running after you, I don't think you need another!" he yelled, he was mad. I went bright red and Finnick rubbed the back of his head smiling.
"I'll see you both later." I mumbled and strode out of the room at an incredible pace not looking back to see Finnick's expression. As I walked past Haymitch I gave him a look that could kill.
Sooo, what do you think?
