1/10/15

Chapter 35: Sunken Dreams

Annie slides across the dock and bumps into Attina. I chase after her, but I slip on a puddle and trip over my feet.

"Watch where you're going kids!" Attina laughs, wrapping her arms around Annie. Annie tries to squirm away, but Attina holds her tight. "Where have you two been?"

"Just at Mags's house," I say, pushing myself off of the wooden flooring of the boardwalk. "She had some company over."

"I see," Attina says.

"Let go of me!" Annie grunts, squirming out of Attina's arms. Attina laughs and sets her down. Annie glares at her sister indignantly, but Attina only laughs. "I'm 11 years old! I'm too old for this!"

"Aww, no you're not," Attina smirks. "You'll always be my baby sister."

"I was afraid of that," Annie mumbles. Attina and I laugh again. "Oh, come on. Let's just find your dad."

"Over here!" Dad yells. I look over and see him and Caspian already standing on the boat. "Come on kids, let's go!"

"Okay," we yell in unison. Annie and Attina run, but I just walk, remembering what happened to me earlier. I don't want to trip again. Attina and Annie beat me, but I don't care. At least things are kind of back to the way they were before my Games. Attina trusts me, Annie's back to her old self, and things couldn't possibly get any better.

Or, you know, they could get worse.

I climb onto the boat and take a seat between Annie and my dad, across from Attina and Caspian. "You guys ready to go?" Dad asks.

"Yeah," I shrug. "So why are we out here? Are we fishing or something?"

"Not really," Dad says. "I just wanted to spend some time with you. I feel like I haven't seen any of you since July."

"Come to think of it, I don't think you have," Attina says.

"Yeah, I mean, we've been busy with training and school. And, you know, whatever it is Finnick's been doing," Caspian shrugs.

"Absolutely nothing. That's what I've been doing," I groan. Dad laughs and shakes his head.

"Don't worry Finnick. I'm sure you'll find something to do," Dad says.

"Maybe," I sigh.

"You could work on your talent," Annie suggests.

"What, poetry? I suck at it," I say dramatically.

"Really?" Caspian asks.

"Aww, c'mon. It can't be that bad," Attina says.

"Come up with something for us," Dad insists.

"Okay fine. Um, the water is blue. The sky is… also blue. And is Elena. There, that's the closest thing to a poem I can write," I say.

"And how was that a poem?" Attina asks.

"Simple. It wasn't," I shrug.

Annie and Caspian exchange a look. "You can do better than that, can't you Finnick?"

I shake my head.

"Well, at least you tried," Dad says.

"Maybe you should just switch talents," Caspian says gently.

"Sorry, no can do. I already promised Siren I'd use her poems instead," I say.

"Isn't the point of a talent something you can do? You know, to pass the time?" Attina frowns.

"No, it's just something to keep the Capitol obsessed with the Games," Dad says. "You know what you could do though?"

"No, what?" I ask, watching as the beach disappears from sight. Dad takes a break from steering the boat to think.

"You could always just go back to school," Dad finally says. "That might be worth your time."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I admit. "But what happens after I graduate? Then what do I do?"

"You could teach at the academy," Annie suggests, dangling her hand in the water. "I mean, you're better with a trident than anyone I've ever seen. Maybe you could teach other kids how to do that? Give them a better advantage in the Games, you know."

I frown and copy Annie. "I think having to mentor those kids is enough. I don't want to get attached to someone only to have them die in those awful Games."

Besides," Caspian adds, "Then he'd have to work for Triton."

"Bleh," Attina says, pretending to choke on thin air. "Even his name makes me sick."

"I know, right?" I say.

"He's like a demon in human form," Annie says.

"I think you're confused, Ann. That's President Snow you're thinking of," I say.

"Aren't you worried that the fish have cameras?" Attina teases me.

"Nah, what could they do to us out here?" I ask.

There's an awkward pause as we all think about that. What could they do to us out here? Nothing really, as far as that goes. I mean, we're all alone. Isolated from the outside world. Unless we told them, nobody would even know we're here. Not Mom, not Triton, not even President Snow. Cameras or no cameras. We're alone, and we're free out here.

"You know what?" I ask. "I just had a crazy idea."

"I'm listening," Caspian says.

"What if we found a deserted island in the middle of the ocean?" I say absentmindedly. "We could move our families and friends there, and never have to worry about the Games or President Snow ever again."

"They'd find us," Annie says quietly. "They'd find us and cut out our tongues."

"Maybe. Or maybe they wouldn't. Anything is better than living this life, where we're constantly afraid of Snow and his threats," I say.

"All we need to do is find an island," Caspian says.

"Like that'll ever happen," Attina sighs. "President Snow probably sunk all the islands or something. Besides, he'd know. Maybe it would've worked before your Games, but he'd know now."

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"I think people would notice the latest victor missing," Dad comments. "In a few years, though, I can see it working."

"You really think so?" I ask hopefully. Honestly, I wasn't really being serious, but if there's a chance of it working I'm all for it. I'd do anything to get away from that creep we call a president.

"Maybe," Dad says, a twinkle in his eye. "Anything can happen, now can't it?" his voice drops to a whisper. "Who knows, maybe we won't need to run away. Maybe the Games will be over by then."

"That would be nice," Annie says.

"Yeah, I could only wish," Attina says bitterly.

"Maybe someday," Caspian adds.

For the rest of the day, that's all any of us can think of. And it's rather nice. I wish we could do this every day. But the thing is, we can't. If we did, maybe we wouldn't come back home. Just like what happened to one of us later that day…

….

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention

So, yeah. This was mostly a filler chapter. I could've deleted it, actually. But I didn't because I think we all need a little fluff before next chapter. If you've been reading, I shouldn't have to explain why.

Quote of the day!

"You're overwhelmed, he was underwhelmed, why can't anyone just be whelmed?" –Young Justice, Robin

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess