Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.
~Saadi

~The Week Without Finnick~

Annie

A hovercraft came to pick up Finnick in three days. I told him to say hi to Blue if he saw her. To tell the truth, I actually really missed her. Finnick kept murmuring how he didn't want to go. I wanted to cry for him. I wanted to hold him and tell all the Peacekeepers to go away. But I couldn't. So I just watched him leave.

Once he was gone, I immediately went over to Mags home. She opened the door with a small smile.

"Is Finnick gone?" she asked.

I nodded my head and entered. Mags made me some tea, saying, "I don't carry coffee. I think it is disgusting, remember?" I laughed and happily drank the tea. It soothed my throat. Mags and I sat down in front of the big window in her kitchen.

"Mags," I said softly, "What was it like when you won the Games?"

"Oh…such a long time ago," she mumbled, then spoke up, "When I won, I came home to a happy family. Everyone was…so proud of me. But I wasn't proud of myself. I wasn't happy either. Soon I was a mentor, and I went trying to keep these kids alive, because I didn't want to feel responsible for more death. I became attached with every single kid I mentored. I don't know if you know this but in my earlier years of mentoring, I fell in love with a tribute."

"You did?"

"Yes," Mags confirmed, "I was just 18. He was 17. He was so sweet, and he was so…innocent. He didn't seem to believe in the reality he was in. His optimism, his thoughts on…everything…moved me. And I just couldn't help it. He made me feel so much better about life. Then he went into the arena and died. Awful to watch."

"Mags…did you ever get married and have kids?"

She shook her head. "I was never married. Annie…I was raped…by a Peacekeeper, and I gave birth to this beautiful baby boy. But the same Peacekeeper took him and killed him. I don't know what runs through their heads…"

I admired Mags for her strength and wisdom. The fact that all this had happened to her, and she could still tell me it…She was amazing.

After a few more minutes of talking, Mags went and found some old tracks of music the Capitol had given to her as a gift for winning the Games. She smiled and put them on. Then she began dancing. I smiled and laughed. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me up with her. And we danced and laugh into the afternoon.

Finnick

"Second customer of the day," the Peacekeeper grumbled.

I coughed then sighed. A lady with bright yellow hair walked in, her heels extremely loud.

"Hello Mr. Finnick," her voice was very squeaky, "My, aren't you handsome?"

She grinned, and like I was supposed to, I grinned back. She touched me all up and down my body, before finally taking her clothes off. I closed my eyes, as she did what she wanted to with my body. And I tried to act like I enjoyed it. A week of this shit. I just wanted to go home.

A few reoccurring customers came in. Yolanda Mason. She was in the first group of customers when I was first started. She believed that we were madly in love. She would always whisper "My love" in my ear. It made me uncomfortable. Another one was Renee Anderson. She believed that I really did love her because she was my very first customer when I started, and she thought I enjoyed it. I just had to moan because it was so new to me. Now she believed that we were lovers. Also uncomfortable.

Annie

"Where is Finnick's family?" I asked Mags, as we seasoned the vegetables for dinner.

"Oh he never told you? It is probably really hard for him to talk about," Mags pursed her lips, "Snow forced Finnick into prostitution. And Finnick refused at one point. And so to show Finnick he wasn't playing, Snow killed his mother and father. His sister died…"

"Oh I know about that," I said softly.

"And Finnick's brother is a Peacekeeper…"

"What?" I exclaimed, "Really?"

"I know, it is really hard to believe. His brother worked very hard to become a Peacekeeper. After mom and dad died, he disappeared. Haven't seen him since, and that was three years ago."

I placed the vegetables in the oven to cook then sighed.

"What was his name?" I asked, "Finnick's brother?"

"Aw…" Mags said, thinking, "Eric. Eric Odair."

Finnick

I was let out for a break. I took in all the fresh air and got some food at a diminutive restaurant. Then I sat down at a small table and ate. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. But somehow, someone just had to find me. I was very grateful, when my finder was only Blue.

"Hi Fin," she said softly, sitting down in front of me, "How's it been?" Oh that rhymes!"

I laughed at her then answered, "It has been nice. How about you, Blue?"

"That rhymes too," she smiled, "And it has been great."

She wasn't as loud as she used to be. She was still incredibly silly, but she wasn't annoying. I could also notice that she was going lighter on the makeup. She looked better.

"How is Annie?"

"Oh better…" I said, "Now. She says hi."

"Well tell her I said hi back…and that she needs to start brushing her hair more."

I smiled. Blue went on, "I saw all those women go in. I told another group to leave. You don't deserve…what Snow is doing to you."

I eyed her for a while. "You use to visit me…a lot."

"I regret it. I shouldn't have encouraged that. I hate myself for it. I just wanted to have someone to love me. And all these ladies were just walking around saying "Finnick loves me" or "Finnick and I are lovers". And for some fucking reason I wanted to be a part of that."

She ran her fingers through her long hair then spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"…It is okay."

Annie

I went into town the next day to buy fish for dinner tonight. As I purchased my fish, I noticed the group of Peacekeepers staring at me. It made me feel uncomfortable. And I swore one of them said, "I want her in my bed." I pushed some strands of my hair behind my ear and rushed off.

"Mags!" I cried, banging my hand on her door.

Mags opened the door quickly. "What is it?"

"Here is the fish," I said breathlessly, "I have to tell you something."

"What?" Mags asked, placing the fish on a counter.

"I think I am going to find Finnick's brother."

"…You think he is still out there?"

"Yes," I said, "But would Finnick be happy or upset to see him?"

"I don't know. You are going to have ask him about it when he gets back."

I made dinner for Mags that night. Then I left her house to go get some dessert. I walked back down to town and walked over to Louisa's pastry stand.

"Hi Annie," Louisa smiled, "What would you like."

"Just a chocolate cake," I smiled back, "Two slices please."

The Peacekeepers were still over there, crowding around each other. They were drinking too. I shivered as a cold breeze danced through the sky.

"Here you go dear," Louisa said, handing me a plastic bag.

I grabbed the bag, silently thanked Louisa, and turned to walk off.

"You're Annie Cresta?"

I turned to look in the direction from where the question came from. It was a Peacekeeper. He looked middle-aged. He wasn't wearing his helmet, and in his hand was a bottle of alcohol.

"Yes," I said slowly.

"Come here," he burped afterwards then laughed.

I turned to look at Louisa, who hadn't looked up.

"I must be getting back to my friend," I said softly.

Another cold breeze ran through the sky.

"I said come here."

I swallowed then walked over to him. He smelled of cigarettes and alcohol. Now that I was closer, I could see that he had short hairs growing from his face, and his teeth were perfectly straight.

"Where are you going Ms. Cresta?" He said my name in a funny way.

"Back to my home," I lied.

"I heard you live with Finnick Odair…"

The other Peacekeepers turned to look at me.

"Uh…yeah I do."

"What do you do with Fin…nick?"

I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes. "That is none of your business…"

I turned to walk off to Mags house. I heard him say, "I bet you he is fucking her. Isn't he lucky?"

The other Peacekeepers laughed and whistled. I wished Finnick was here.

I took Mags her cake, then headed back home. I locked all the doors then got into bed. But I couldn't fall asleep. Without Finnick, I didn't feel safe. At all.

The next morning, I laid in bed until the sun was in the sky fully. I went out to the balcony, letting the fresh air caress my skin. There was a loud knocking on the door. I walked down to the door, opened it, exclaimed, then tried to close it.

"Let me in," the Peacekeeper said.

He was the same one from last night.

"What is it you want?" I asked him, after he pushed his way in.

"…You." He stepped close, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"It is bad to drink in the mornings," I sighed, pushing him away, "And I am sorry. You can't have me."

He pushed the door closed, and I began to choke on my nervousness. "Get out!"

"Do you know where Finnick is right now?" he raised his eyebrow and stepped close again.

"Yes."

"Then you should know he is fucking another lady right now. He doesn't care about you," he said, his hand running up and down my face, "So while he is having fun, I thought we could have some fun…"

He leaned in to kiss me. I grabbed his hand and shoved him backwards. "Stay the hell away from me!"

He stumbled then found his footing. He moved in again. I backed away. Then I turned and broke into a run. I raced upstairs to the bedroom and locked the door behind me. I heard him following as quick as he could go. I backed away from the door and clutched the sides of my head, tears boiling in my eyes.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shrieked.

I raced out to the balcony. I looked down over the railing. The ground wasn't too far down. I looked behind me, listening for a sound. He was banging on the door now. I climbed over the railing. I tried reaching over to the window ledge, but my hands weren't stretching long enough, and I fell to the floor. I groaned in pain, glancing down at my elbow. Then I got up and raced off to Mags house.

"That damn fool," Mags grumbled to herself, as she wrapped my arm in a bandage.

I wiped my eyes and sighed, "I…can't believe this."

Mags tapped my arm to confirm she was done. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I rubbed my arm, "Can I stay here tonight?"

"…Of course dear."

Finnick

"You are so delicious," Elizabeth, a new customer, moaned.

She licked her lips and moved until she reached her high peak. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited. She rolled off me then kissed me again. "I love you Finnick."

I sat there in silence.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" she said softly.

"…I love you too," I uttered with a tense jaw.

"Thank you!"

She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder.

I fell asleep thinking about Annie. Happy that she didn't have to go through this. I wondered about what her and Mags were talking about. I missed her, and every day, the more customers came, the more I missed her. I couldn't wait to get home to her. I met with Blue every day when I had my breaks. She always had something to talk about, and I always had the ear to listened. I told her about how much I hated what I was doing. And she listened, without interruption.

Annie

I rarely went into town after that incident with the Peacekeeper. When he realized I had escaped, he tore up the house. It was all in a mess. I didn't even have the courage to go back to the house until a day before Finnick was supposed to return. So when I opened my front door, I was surprised. I tried cleaning it all up. Mags even came over and helped. Eventually, everything came back to its natural state. But I was still shaken.

Finnick returned the next day. I decided to wait for him at his house. I made myself some hot chocolate this time, and I sat outside listening to the birds sing. When Finnick actually made it to his house, the wind was blowing viciously. I gave up trying to push my hair out of my face.

"Finnick!" I cried.

I jumped into his arms, and he lifted me off the ground, kissing my forehead. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, and he carried me inside.

"How have you been?" he asked, taking off his bag.

"How have you been?"

"Why won't you answer my question?" he smiled.

"You are the one who went to the Capitol…I want to know about your week."

"No you don't," he grumbled, "Do we have coffee?"

"Yes," I said softly, "Did you see Blue?"

"Yeah. We met every day when I got…my breaks…"

I sighed. "You don't have to talk about it. Besides, I don't want to hear about it."

Finnick looked at me then grinned. "So did you hang out with Mags?"

"Yep," I smacked my lips then giggled, "She is really amazing."

"What did she talk to you about?" Finnick asked, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Oh! Mentoring for the Games. Falling in love with a tribute…" I said slowly, then added in quickly, "And about your brother Eric Odair."

Finnick didn't miss it. He was smiling, then it quickly turned into a frown. He let go of me and exhaled.

"Why haven't you told me about him?" I asked.

Finnick rubbed his eyebrows. "He is a Peacekeeper. I just wanted to forget about him."

"…You don't like him because he is a Peacekeeper?"

"No. I don't like him because he participated in the execution of my parents!"

I was silent for a while, as Finnick glanced out the window. Then I spoke again. "What do you think happened to him?"

"I don't fucking care," Finnick spat, causing my face to heat up.

"Finnick!" I exclaimed, "He is your brother! No matter what, you should always care. He is the only family you have!"

Finnick knew how much I cared for family since I had lost all of mine. He grabbed my hands and sighed heavily.

"Don't go looking for him Annie…I don't want to see him."

Then he walked off to the bedroom.