Everything belongs to Suzanne Collins, even the tears I cried when I wrote this. Maybe I'm being dramatic.
UPDATE: I received a review telling me that Annie's descent into madness didn't feel quite right. Does anyone else feel this way? If more readers feel that it doesn't feel right, I will definitely change some of it so it suits you all better. I really like the way I'm writing it, but this story is for you all, so if you don't like it, I'll nix it. My reviewer (by the way, I appreciate the constructive criticism LOADS :D) said that she felt that Annie was too strong a character and that's why it felt wrong. Do you agree? Let me know!
To Moriah98, my reviewer, if you see this: Thank you for the review! I wish you would've created an account so I could message you and get your input on how to improve Annie's going insane, but since you're a guest, I can't :( I really hope you end up reading this so I can grab some suggestions from you on another review! Your criticism is always always always welcome! :)
To Cooper, another guest reviewer: I'm going to do more than just the Victory Tour! This story will likely go past Mockingjay. If I end it before then, I'll definitely write a sequel. Regardless of a sequel or no sequel, this story will go for much much longer. Thank you for reading and for your encouragement :)
It's always been you, Annie.
Just know that no matter what happens, I love you.
Annie, please don't leave me, I love you too much.
Annie Cresta is the best person I've ever known.
You've always been the only one.
Mine is the color of your eyes.
I decided that I would marry you someday.
You and me, Cresta.
His words bounce around in my head, haunting me, taunting me, stabbing me, burning me alive.
I've been in love with you since I was fourteen. You and me, Cresta.
"Blake," I choke out, sobbing. "Blake, why did you leave me?" It's almost as if I can hear his voice. Annie, I would die for you. "No, please, take me instead. I don't want to live without you." You can do it, Annie. You promised you would win. "I don't want to win anymore, not without you, not without you, not without you!" I'm screaming, screaming, screaming until I can't scream anymore and I still sob and cry and tear at my skin with my nails, still try and rip the hair from my head, because he's not here, he's not here, he'll never be here again. I'll never see his blue eyes again, I'll never feel the slip of his nose against mine, I'll never hear his voice again, I'll never feel the pressure of his lips against mine as long as I live. "Why did you leave me, Blake?" I whisper, and the words are almost inaudible.
Even when I see a monster in front of me with an axe in his hand, I still don't stop crying for Blake. Annie, you need to run. Run. Run. Run! Blake yells at me and I cover my ears, because I don't want to run. Maybe I should let it kill me so I don't have to live with his anymore, so I don't have to suffocate under all of the words he ever said to me. Annie, you promised me you would win. You promised. "I can't do this without you, Blake."
I'll always be with you. With some of his last words to me echoing in the chambers of my empty heart, I get up and I run. I don't know where I am, I don't know what to do except run. I don't know where my weapons are, but I don't want them anymore. I don't want anything ever again.
So I run. I run through every street of hell, I run past where the white tower was, the place where Blake looked at me and I felt sure I could never love again, I run by the river he dived into, where he looked so strong and powerful, I run by the island where we last made love. I run by the island where I decided I would give my life for his.
And. I. Can't. Take. It. Everything in my hell looks like him, feels like him, smells like him, makes me ache for him. And he's not here. He'll never be here again. I fall down on the pavement. I give up. I don't want anything ever again. I want to die.
"Let me die! Let me die!" I scream at the sky, I scream at the monsters that threw me in hell with the person I loved the most. "KILL ME!" I scream, sounding more animal than human. "Please," I choke out, sobbing until my body is shuddering and I'm wishing for his face, wishing for his touch, wishing for his smile.
On my worst days, all I have to do is remember the way you laughed, the way you smiled, and I'm better.
"Please, make it stop. Please, Blake, make it stop. I just want to be with you again," I tell him, and he smiles at me in my imagination.
I'll always be with you, Annie. You'll see me in your dreams, you'll see me everywhere. I'll always be watching you, missing you, and loving you. I'll always love you. He says it with a smile on his face, not a trace of sadness. His head is still attached to his body and his blue eyes speak to my soul. I love you, Annie. Please survive, please live for me. It's the greatest gift you could ever give me.
"Alright, Annie. Here we go," my father coos at me gently. "Into the water you go." I smile up at my father, eyes alight with adoration. "Time to swim, Annie."
When my feet touch the water, even though I just learned to walk, they start to move effortlessly. I giggle, padding my legs. This feels better than walking. It feels like flying.
When the water rushes over me, my instincts take over. The wave of water is powerful, but I don't care. My body belongs to the water. I see Blake when I'm under. He's smiling at me.
I love when you swim, Annie. You look like a mermaid.
I want to open my mouth and talk to him, but I can't. I'll die if I do. So I kick my legs so I can reach the surface, and when I do, I inhale deeply. I laugh, but it's a wild laugh. It's an insane laugh. I do every stroke I can think of. Butterfly, backstroke, front crawl, breaststroke. All the while, I'm laughing and splashing Blake with the water.
"Do you remember all the times we went swimming, Blake? I wish we could be back in District 4." You will be soon enough, Ann. I frown. "Why won't you be with me?" I ask, and he just smiles at me. I will be. Watching over you, loving you every second.
I hear a cannon in the distance, but I don't care. I'm staring at Blake, and every part of me is screaming, wishing for there to be a riptide somewhere in this hell, wishing it could drag me under, wishing it could take me to Blake and the bottom of the ocean and the furthest star.
Blake disappears, and instead I see a boy with dark brown skin, trying desperately to stay afloat.
"Why are you here? What happened to Blake?" I ask him, and he is panting. But he chokes out the words.
"Annie, he's dead," the boy says and I scream at him.
"No he's not! He's not dead!"
"Annie, he is dead," the boy repeats.
"How do you know my name?" I ask.
"I just do. Please tell my family that I'm sorry," he pants, before he stops kicking and goes under. It's another minute before I hear a boom, and trumpets.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the victor of the 70th Annual Hunger Games, Annie Cresta!"