Annie

I'm on the couch again, with Cora at my side and Finnick holding my hand. I don't know how many times I've gone away in the past week, but I already know what to expect. That doesn't make it any more bearable.

As soon as I feel him get on top of me, my eyes cloud with tears. I don't want to go through it again. I might be in my mind; I can't see or hear him. But I can feel what he does. I feel how he touches and kisses my body. And I hate it.

It's not like when Finnick and I do it. He's careful and sweet, moving slowly. The Capitol men are not. They do what the feel like to me, and I can't fight back. I can't even say anything in the real world. But in this world, I scream.

"Make it stop!" I sob. I call out for help, but neither Finnick nor Cora can do anything about it.

"I'm sorry, love. I can't stop it." He moves to caress my face, but I slap his hand away. I don't want anyone touching me.

"Make it stop!"

The next day…

One day has passed since the last visit, which means another one will be coming tomorrow. Thanks to the clock on the wall, I can tell when the hours pass. Each man comes for exactly six hours. In that time, they do whatever they want.

So this is what Finnick goes through every day for months, just to keep me safe.

I'm lucky I'm mad. No amount of torture is going to make me go crazy. You can't change something into what it already is.

Then something strange happens. Smoke starts coming out from the ventilation shafts, clouding my vision. They're going to kill me, I think. The fumes make me dizzy, and they make my eyes heavy. But I fight it. I didn't go through all of that just to die.

Then the door slams open and three men come in. They don't look like Capitol men, although it's hard to tell with the smoke. Then I realize I'm completely naked and no matter how many times I'm violated, I'm never going to get used to men seeing me nude.

I go to a corner, curling up so they can't see my body, and I cover my mouth with my hair. I'm about to pass out… Even my thoughts are getting fuzzy…

Have… to… keep… going…

I focus all my energy into staying awake, so much that I don't have the strength to fight off the men. One of them picks me up and they carry me away from the horrible room. We're barely through the door when I give up and let the darkness consume me.

I wake up with five-or-so machines hooked up to my body. I am surrounded by a few doctors, talking and taking notes in their clipboards.

"Where am I?" I ask one of the nurses.

"You're on a hovercraft to District 13." He replies.

"And where's Finnick?"

"He's in District 13, waiting for you. Now, we're going to run some tests, okay? Please relax. We'll be there in a few hours." He tells me.

I try to. You're safe, you're going to be with Finnick again. You're away from the Capitol.

But that just seems too good to last.

The doctors do their job carefully, making sure that I'm comfortable. When one of them asks me to unclothe myself so he can check something, I refuse, and he accepts. Instead, he tells me I can have the tests run by a female doctor. That, I accept.

All the male doctors and nurses leave and I take off my hospital robes. The women study me for a while, and then they tell me I can put my robes back on. When the men come back, they have a quick chat and, after that, one of them tells me the wonderful news:

"Annie, you're pregnant."

The realization doesn't shock me as much as I thought it would. I suppose I had known for a while that something was wrong, or right. The cramps, the mood swings, the vomiting, Johanna's mercy, the Capitol's less-frequent punishments, my off-balance, and my slightly bigger stomach make sense now. I'm having a baby.

Finnick and I will finally get what we wanted.

But what if the baby isn't Finnick's?

"How long have I been pregnant?" I ask, trying to stay calm. What if it's a Capitol baby? What if it's a result of rape?

"For slightly more than two months." I gasp. So the baby is Finnick's after all. Tears cloud my vision, but they're tears of joy. I'm pregnant.

"And- is, is it- a boy or a girl?"

"It is most certainly a boy." Seadon. I'm going to have my little Seadon. My baby. My angel.

"However, you were put through a lot of torture. We don't know for sure if the baby will have any problems." It doesn't matter. I will love him just the same.

"Can you be sure somehow?" I ask, nonetheless.

"Of course. We just need to run some tests. They put a lot of poisons in your body, including the fog in your Games. Poor thing, pregnant in the Hunger Games. Oh, and the baby will be born sometime in July." I realize it's true; I was pregnant during the Hunger Games. For once, I allow myself a bit of pride. I made it through the Quarter Quell with another human being in me.

The doctors continue their tests, putting strange creams on my belly and showing me pictures of the baby. Oh, what Finnick would give to be here.

As if reading my mind, the nurse says:

"We will be in 13 in five minutes. Now, Annie, in 13 there are many rules and strict lifestyles. You are pregnant; however, meaning you don't have to do most of the work. Most of your time will be free. I can't say the same for Finnick, even though you will both be pulled out of your daily schedules for extra psychological and medical appointments. Especially you, Annie. You will have many hours of rehabilitation as well. But most of your time will be free."

"Got it." I assure her. I'm getting an opportunity at life. No matter how busy it is, I will make it work.

Then, the hum of the engines stop and a nurse tells me:

"We're here."

"And when can I see Finnick?" I ask.

"In about an hour, after we give the medics in 13 a full report on your health." I can't wait to see Finnick. I can just picture his face when I tell him about the baby.

I try my best to be patient as they take me underground to the hospital and do my tests over again.

I'll be with him again. I will be in his arms again.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the doors open. My heart picks up a beat and every second drags on for minutes. And then I see him.

"Finnick!" I call out, pulling off the hospital blankets and getting up quickly.

"Annie? Annie!" He starts running towards me, and my feet take off automatically. Soon, I'm back in his arms, feeling his hair and face and arms. Finnick. My Finnick. In my arms again.

"It's okay, Annie. You're safe now. You're ok." I laugh and we kiss once more. Finally, I think, I'm with him at last.

We hold each other for a long time, until the doctors say it's time to let go.

"Can we leave the hospital?" I ask.

"Well, they've done all your tests already so I suppose you can, but you need to come back before dinner, now. Okay?" Something in Finnick's eyes shines and I can tell an idea has come to him. And I think I know exactly what it is.

"That is just about enough time for-" He starts, biting his lip.

"No." I interrupt. The mere thought of someone's hands on me again, even Finnick's, horrifies me. All the happiness vanishes from his eyes as he sees the terror on my face. I try to cover it, then by saying: "I have something to tell you." And just at the thought of telling Finnick I'm pregnant, I feel much better. He; however, does not. But he will soon, when you tell him. I reassure myself.

He leads me away to his room, our room.

"I need to ask for a bigger bed." He says, trying to lighten the mood. "Now, what did you want to tell me?" I sit down on the bed, suddenly exhausted, and pat one side of the bed, indicating he should sit down. When he does, I take his hands in mine and look at his eyes. I get really nervous all of a sudden. What if he doesn't want a child? I fear. Then I remember all those times he looked to the sea and told me how much he'd always wanted a family, how much he'd always wanted children. And I just say it:

"I'm pregnant." His reaction is immediate. His eyes light up and his smile is bigger than ever. He laughs and picks me up, spinning me around, so, so happy.

"You're pregnant! I'm going to be a father!" He says, his eyes full of happy tears. "I'm going to be a father." He repeats, softer this time.

"It's a boy." I tell him. This only excites him more. He gives me a long, sweet kiss, then moves down and kisses my slightly-bigger tummy.

"What are we going to name him? How long have you been pregnant for? When are you having him? Where are we having him?" He bombards me with a list of questions I doubt I'm not ready to answer.

"I was thinking Seadon. I've been pregnant for about two months. We're having him in July. Hopefully in District 4. And he is most certainly yours." I add.

"Why wouldn't he be mine?" He asks, with a look that tell me he knows already.

"Don't lie and tell me you don't know what they did to me. Don't you lie to me, Finnick."

He doesn't say anything, just nods and hugs me. We stay like that for a long time, possibly an hour, until I am due to return to get my tests done.