Nothing is Written: Mumford and Sons.
Waking up in Finnick's arms would have been ideal, but he left some time in the night. All that was left of him was the smell of sugar cubes and the Capitol cologne. I stayed in bed, holding the sheets tightly to me until a knock at the door startled me. "Time to get up, there's a lot to run through today!" Ursula barked. I got up and showered, then dressed in a blue cotton dress I found in the dresser drawers. When I reached the table, I ate more today since I had turned down my chance the night before. Finnick smiled at me when breakfast was finished. I smiled back, wishing I could have held him before we reached the Capitol. But I never did get another chance to be with him before then. Ursula held my time, trying to teach me manners of the Capitol. There wasn't much to work on, my mother knew all about etiquette. She read about it when she was younger and her mother before her made sure that she knew how to act like a lady. There was a myth that my family came from important people before the Dark Days that is. But our family history was destroyed, so we would never really know. I sat up like Ursula told me to. I crossed my ankles, smiled, waved accordingly. By the time Ursula had finished prattling on about our schedule and how we were barbaric comparatively, we arrived in the Capitol.
"How was Ursula?" Finnick asked, hopping down from the train. He offered his hand, helping me from the step.
"Like a shark," I muttered. Thomas and Mags walked in front of us, discussing the differences between the Capitol and District Four…there were many.
"Are you a terrible savage?" Finn asked with a smirk, elbowing me.
I grinned. "I am. An awful barbarian, you know?" I told him, raising an eyebrow, sure he heard the same spiel five years ago.
Finnick laughed, "Oh I do know. I was one once…" He said, pushing back his bronze colored hair. "Staying in your room last night would have kept me one," He whispered in my ear, kind of dancing around me, as he would have when we were younger. This was the Capitol's Finnick, a young, joyous boy who was suave, cool, and collected in everything he did, even talking to his trainee.
"Hmm?" I asked, lips pressed together firmly.
Finnick smiled a mischievous grin, one I knew all too well, "Shh," He hissed playfully, putting his finger to his lips and looking back to see Ursula stomping in tall platform shoes behind us. I giggled. "Are you ready to be made into a Capitol member?" He whispered jokingly as we entered the Training Center.
I frowned as my insecurities began to surface. The people of the Capitol were a strange bunch, odd looking, but beautiful. The women were beautiful and shapely, and more importantly, enough to keep Finnick's attention every week. "You mean, be made beautiful?" I said quietly.
Finnick didn't have his normal smirk etched on his face. Instead, he frowned with me, taking my chin in his hand, "No, if they were striving to make you beautiful, they'd have nothing to do." His smile was sweet and made me dread having to leave him.
But in a rush, he was gone and I was surrounded my people with silly colors in their hair, ridiculous tattoos covering their oddly colored skin, and clothes…oh the clothes, too extravagant or ostentatious. A prep team ushered me into a cold room with bright lights surrounding. They took away all unwanted hair, waxing every inch of my body. They plucked at my face, splashing perfumes and color all over my cheeks. They took thick brushes spreading make-up around my skin. My stylist, Cora didn't talk much. He was an older pale man, tall in a sleek navy blue suit. His hair was slicked back with a bluish tint. He had a stern glare and judgmental gaze. His looks and appearances made me all the more uncomfortable, especially when they stripped me down to nothing. He walked around me smirking at my scrawny physique. "This is silly…a waste of my talent," He scoffed. "Come," He waved pushing me down the halls to where I was to get dressed. In front of me stood a tall mannequin with a long heavy fabric hanging down its sides. In a matter of seconds, the dress was pulled from the mannequin and stitched around my body. I was strapped into this golden, orange gown with brilliant coral red lining at the top of the heart shaped bodice. The top plunged deep providing a provocative glance the Capitol so much loved to promote. Cora stuffed my bodice with padding, and then proceeded to douse my shoulders, chest, and legs in glitter. The inside of the dress, where the split occurred, was a powdery white color, accentuating the soft glowing tan District Four had provided. The split revealed enough, like the top. The only thing that gave me some security was the large burgundy net draped over my shoulders that fell down my back. Cora gave me tall aqua blue heels to stand in. "You don't have to walk tonight," He said with a small unkind smirk, "just stand there and look pretty." He walked over to a mirror and pushed it towards me. I was kind of beautiful.
My face glowed in a mysterious way, the dress hugged every curve I didn't have, and my long dark hair was twisted in such an intricate way, I looked nothing like myself. "We've done it," Cora announced to my prep team. "She's a sea goddess trapped in our nets!" They cheered and clapped. They praised him, and then me. They giggled amused by his puns, as if it were some new idea…as if the irony of it all weren't evident.
They helped me stumble to where Thomas, Mags, and Finnick stood. The room was quiet, even Thomas' stylists. "You look gorgeous," Thomas muttered with a thin smile. Thomas looked handsome himself. He had no net draped over him, but he did have similar colors in his suit. There were shells that lined his lapel, one accent I lacked. We walked to our decorated chariot, my knees were shaking as my ankles weren't strong enough to support me in the tall aqua colored shoes. Thomas took one side of me and Finnick held the other side. "Ok Annie, just smile and look beautiful." But I couldn't. I couldn't smile. I was terrified. I plastered a fake smile on my lips and looked out into the imminent crowd… but it wasn't enough. Finnick shook his head in disapproval. "Annie, you can do this. If I can do this, you can." He muttered something to Thomas but I didn't notice. Instead, I did my best to muster up the most dazzling smile I could. But just as I thought the ceremony was about to start, Finnick pulled me from the chariot in an area where he found private enough.
"Finnick…I've got to go!" I shouted, stumbling into him and anxious to get back there in time before the Capitol's anthem began to play.
He grabbed me by the wrist and locked his hand behind my ear. Finnick pulled me in close, letting one hand rest on the small of my back, gripping to the netting. He watched my face closely and then my eyes, his nose grazed mine and I stared into his emerald eyes, "You're beautiful…show them that." Finnick's lips touched mine swiftly and then there was a forceful strength behind his movements. His kiss was fulfilling but the minute he broke away from me, I ached for him. "Wow them," He told me, pushing me back towards the chariots.
Thomas helped me back on the small platform and we were paraded about the Capitol. Thomas and I grinned, waving and wooing the crowd. My smile was unfailing. I would never be rid of it. Finnick was wonderful. He was the something I had been missing for awhile. He was someone I couldn't hate again. But I did hate his timing.