Some dark stuff, and some light drunk funniness... gotta love 'em both! Hunger Games are not mine... oh and Johanna is here! :D
I let the doctors who are standing around take her and begin to work on her. I pace the floor. I want to watch but I can't. They connect some sort of tube to her and then stitch up the cuts.
My mind is torn. Was it Snow... or... my mind shudders, was it Annie?
The doctor lady who told me about Sedna comes over to her. I've seen her so much now, maybe I should learn her name.
"It was a suicide attempt. You saved her."
"Why would she do it? What have the Games done to her? She's with me. But all she talks about is nonsense. One moment she's there, the Annie I love and the next she's gone! I can't keep playing these games... the Games!" I start getting angrier. I pick up a chair and toss it into a window, shattering the glass as peacekeepers come over to suppress me and the doctors begin screaming.
"It's the Games!" I yell as they start taking me away onto a train. I am confused but I stare to the crowd that has gathered at City Hall. "The Games destroy everyone!" I elbow a peacekeeper in the eye and they drop me as I run back to Annie. I hug her and lean over her body protectively. Crying onto her numb face.
I feel the hands on my shoulders again. "No!" I yell as more gather and overpower me. "I won't leave Annie." I try fighting them. My mind switches over and I am back in the Games. There are trees everywhere and these people are standing between me and going home to Annie. I punch one of their faces and the white mask falls off to reveal an older man, not a child. But my mind doesn't change the setting.
I am back in the Hunger Games. My biggest fear. And Annie is here with me.
I grab one of their bodies and smash it into the floor kicking in the skull. I can still feel the tears on my face, and now all the screams are coming.
"Make it stop!" I yell to no one in particular. I think I yell it to the person controlling my mind. The person making me crazy. I give in, just like Annie does. The screams are too much. I hold my ears and sink to the ground. Yelling as the tears violently fall. I grab my hair and try to rip it out as I curl my knees to my chin. I shake around until I feel a burning sensation.
And then slowly, everything fades. The pain fades, the screams fade. For only moments I am at peace. Everything, my mind, my body, my heart. But it all goes away when I think of Annie. I slowly open my eyes. I need to get to her. If Snow plans on killing both us, which I assume he will after my little outburst, I want to die by Annie's side.
I slowly move my feet over the bed and they feel like logs. I move my head but my eyes roll back as the swift motion forces a headache. I force myself to sit up but I feel so weak, but nothing really hurts. I feel a needle in my arm as I try to move. I read the label on the bluish liquid.
Morphling. I know from the District 6 mentors this is how they numb their pain. I wonder what my painkiller from the Games is? I drink sometimes with Chaff and Haymitch, and it calms me, but I don't do it very often. Sex is just painful now thanks to the surgery. This morphling is nice, but looking at District 6 I'd rather not get involved with it.
Maybe I am really selfish. Maybe Annie is my only cure. Is it selfish I want her so much? I don't know what her cure is. I pray it's not cutting herself. I hope that was a one time thing.
But regardless, I have to find out what happened. I move my legs and I start to regain feeling as I walk across the white room. I look in a mirror by the sink. I am still reluctant to take the morphling out of my arm. The minute I do something will beep. And it feels so nice... I look at my face. My lip is torn on the left side and there is a large bruise over my eyebrow. My body is nearly naked and all over are large purple welts turning black and yellow at the touch. It all looks disgusting. I look disgusting.
I place my hand on the doorknob. I don't turn it yet. I rip out the morphling injection and turn the knob and head quickly down the hall. This isn't the hospital in District 4.
...
I head down the hall, looking at the names on each room. I move quickly. I reach the end of the hallway and see no Annie. I get ready to push through the door when I read the sign above it.
Mentally Ill
So Annie and I are both mentally ill? Or maybe not. I was the only one in this area, Annie must be somewhere else. I push through the heavy door and find myself in the lobby.
There are cameras, peacekeepers, and lots of Capitol figures. They all start screaming when they see me. Peacekeepers start to move, some push them back and some near me. The people yelling seem sad and angry.
"Free Finnick!" One girl yells above them all.
"It's unfair!" Yells another.
The peacekeepers calm them down and the cameras swarm me.
"What were you thinking when you attacked Annie and the peacekeepers?"
Attacked Annie?
"Do you think you became mentally unstable when Annie did?"
Mentally unstable?
"Was this caused by the fish in District 4?"
Fish?
I push my way through the cameras. Brushing them all off. I attempt to leave through the front door. We're in the Capitol for some reason. A peacekeeper grabs my arm. I spit on his shoe as he bludgeons my face with a baton.
I steady on the floor, blood dripping from my face as I try to regain my poise.
But now the room is spinning.
"What are you doing to him?"
"You're making him unpretty!"
I feel my body being lifted up and pushed into a limo. I sway my head as the door closes and the noise shuts out. The seats offer relief to my bruised tailbone.
I smell something odd in the car. I assume it's my blood until I see President Snow. Sitting there, smiling.
"I'll rip that smile off your face!" I yell. The car stops, but Snow motions for it to keep moving. "Where's Annie!" My voice is strong but cracks a bit on her name.
"You broke a rule Finnick. A very big one." He tosses me a soft white towel and I hold it tightly on my nose that is gushing out blood.
My breathing gets faster and faster. I slump my head into my lap and begin crying, loudly. I get mad, I am so mad and so depressed.
"You leave Annie alone!" I look at his face, his horrible white puffy face. So hideous, but so intimidating. All the strength leaves my body. I don't look up. I stare at my lap. "Where is she?" I say in a quiet pathetic voice.
"So sad to see a grown man crying. So weak. This is your last warning. The girl is fine... I will always have my fingers on her... and therefore on you. You've been asleep awhile."
I start rubbing my eyes. So it's true. As long as I am alive, Annie is in trouble. Annie is no threat, but I am. They will keep her to get to me.
"Put some clothes on Finnick. Your makeup team will take care of you." He chuckles. "Your looks sure have gone downhill."
The car stops and a door is opened. I take my leave. The bright sun reflecting off of the buildings blinding my eyes. Why is he sending me to the mentor's hotel? Are the Games starting already? It doesn't make sense if I haven't met my tributes.
Noqall runs over to hug me.
"We thought you were dead!" She kisses my cheek. "You look horrible... come on!" I drop the rag and move like a zombie and follow her. She directs me into the hotel and into the makeup room. I watch her mix colors of liquids and smooth them over my skin. Some of them sting and others soothing. I can't help but think of her as a witch from the old stories my mother used to read me – when things weren't so terrible, mixing and brewing potions.
She spins my chair around and I stare into the mirror. I still don't look good. Noqall must see my dissatisfaction because she goes back in and gives my hair a little trim and adds a little more makeup to my face. Sure the scars are invisible. But I can't get over how average I look. How weak.
She helps me out of the chair since my body aches and gets me into the suit. I can hear the mentors laughing from the room over. Noqall gives me a kiss on the cheek, but before she leaves she stops me.
"They lied to us, didn't they Finnick? For 6 months they told us that you and Annie were crazy... first they said it was the fish, so we all stopped buying it, but then they told us it wasn't and you had just fallen down some stairs bumping your heads... but I don't believe it." She darts her eyes around the room and quickly adds, "But it's not my business." And I head out.
My eyes try to adjust to the dim blue lighting. There's the loud electronic music they play in the Capitol. I see all the mentors, laughing, getting along with their lives. I head over to the bar and find a very angry looking Chaff.
"What's wrong?" I ask. He looks up and his face completely changes.
"Finnick you're alive! And Annie?"
I nod, "For all I know." I don't smile I just stare into Chaff's face even though it's near impossible to see at this party. I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore today. I really have to start pulling myself together. "I can't wait to be back with her. What did I miss while I was out?"
"You spend way too much time in the hospital man... there's a new victor, District 7. Surprised everyone. Mags did a good job in your place. I think she misses being a mentor."
"Well, I can't really give up the job now can I?" I brush him off.
I feel a very drunk and smelly arm around me, pulling Chaff and I together.
"Have a drink!" A very drunk Haymitch spits out.
Chaff eyes him angrily. Haymitch shrugs.
"Not my fault your liver is failing – mine is doing fine! Shots for everyone!" He yells. So that's why Chaff is mad. No drinks. Maybe I should go his route tonight. Don't drink anything, keep a clear mind.
"Hey how's Annie?"
"So are you really crazy?"
"Annie is mad, huh?"
I look at the mentors before me. Seeder, Cashmere and Gloss. I want them to leave me alone. I want everyone to stop talking about it. I grab one of Haymitch's shots I know it will kill the brain cells talking to me in my head... but that's the problem it's a Haymitch geared shot – and he has the infamous 'iron liver'. I apparently do not.
I stumble through the smoky room. I intentionally squeeze a few ladies here and there, giving them flirtatious smiles. I feel like Finnick again. My brain keeps yelling at my hand to stop grabbing these drinks, but I can't seem to stop. I look around the room. Everyone is dancing, or the room is just swirling.
Victor parties always suck. I hate all the people here, except for a select few. I take a few sips of the sour drink letting it tantalize my brain again. I look at the crowd. I don't even know half these people!
"Hey, when..." I hiccup. "When did you become a victor?" I look at the strange tall man. He's really tall with glowing glasses. I try to tap him to get his attention, he's really skinny though and I end up just knocking him over. A loud crash causes people to look over at me.
"Is this guy with anyone?" I laugh. I don't know why... but I find everything to be so hilarious all of a sudden. This girl's hair, that guy's beard... I look at it closer. I keep moving towards it.
"Why are you touching my beard you creep?!" I hear a loud angry man boom. Is that Chaff? I don't know, it's all a mystery to poor little Finnick. I start twirling the long graying hairs in my fingers. It feels like a sheep – no a lamb. What's the difference anyways?
I stumble backwards. Everything is getting so hot all of a sudden. I feel like I am being suffocated and the drink in my hand becomes as hot as a desert. A desert? That's no place for a fish! I drink the rest of the odd mixture. Sweat drips from my brow, it looks blue almost... I can't take it. It's too hot. I hold on to a table and try to rip my shoe off. My hands just can't seem to get a grip though.
I take a second to bend over in laughter. How silly! Finnick can't get his shoes off. Hahaha. I eventually dig with the front of my other foot into the back of my heel causing the shoe to slip off. I don't bother with the other one. I only unbutton my jacket and throw it to the ground. Bye jacket! I wave as it slowly falls to the floor. Slowly slowly.
Then I struggle with my shirt. The buttons turn to barbed wire and it hurts my fingernails to dig into them. I decide to just rip off the shirt. I throw it at some girl's face. Then I give her a big grin. I walk over to her, shirtless.
"You wannahavesomefunorIdunno..." She gives me a weird look and pushes me backwards. I take it this must mean she wants my sugar cubes. I undo the tedious belt and swing it around my head.
"Woohoo!" I look at the girl seductively, I lick my tongue around my entire face. I know she loves it. I take my thumb and rub it down my chiseled abs. She starts to turn away as I let my pants fall. I go up behind her. Giving her a hug and feeling upwards. She has very small breasts for a woman. I give her arms a stroke. "Hey baby... maybeyoushouldshave." She pushes me angrily back. I look back in disgust. "You hairy!" I blurt out.
"Finnick! GO HOME, you're drunk!" Oh, it's Chaff's voice again. He's so tense without a drink! I wander around for a bit. There's lots of cool colors. It's hard to walk, my pants are at my ankles and I can't move very fast. I grab another drink.
"Oooh, this one's GREEN." I spit out. I can hardly stand. I slump my head downs, starting to laugh and then I look up. I just see a blur of a white face and spiky brown hair.
"Sup?" I give them a head nod. Maybe Finny is getting action tonight after all! My eyes start to settle a bit and I can make her out. This time I am positive it is a female.
"I like your boxers." I blink a few times. Oh yea, I took off my pants.
"Thanks, I like your-" I stop. "Um." I hold my head and just kind of turn away from her. I can't think straight. Must have been something in the air. Definitely not this drink though.
"This party sucks huh?" I turn around.
"Suck?" I yell. "You want to suck it?!" I have a huge grin on my face, aw yeah!
She just laughs, and then I watch in confusion as she takes off her shirt to reveal some top notch breasts, if I do of course judge them myself. Then I get even more excited as she removes her pants and lets them hang around her ankles.
"Sweeeet." I hiccup a little more, she holds out her hand.
"Hey, I'm the newest victor, name's Johanna." Johanna. I look at the hand. It reminds me of a squid so I touch each one of her fingers curiously.
"You're nice." I let the last word pull a bit. I hang onto her for balance. "I'm... I'm..." Who was I again? "I'm the King of the Sea." I sit down on the ground and awkwardly fiddle around with my pants pocket, I keep trying to grab them, but the lint gets trapped on my sweaty fingers. But I find it and hold it out to her. "You want..." I take a step back. "You want a sugar cube?" I offer them in my hands.
She takes one.
"Finnick Odair. I've heard stories about you." She is still standing there naked. "I don't like clothes either. I find them restricting."
"Girl, we're going to be good friends." That's all I manage until I turn to my left and puke up the entire night's meals and alcohol. I hear a loud screech. And then some heavy, angry breathing.
"How DARE you!" I just stand in a bit of a daze. "I payed so much for -" And then it keeps coming. It falls down her dress and she startles back. I can hear Johanna laughing as I grab to her for support only finding her large breasts.
"It's fine Odair. Any man who can puke on a girl like that from the Capitol can surely hang on me." I laugh and look up at her, finally seeing her blue eyes.
I don't offer any handshake. Just a high five. "Awesommme..."
"Let's get you home Odair."
