The days wear on and I really do feel as if I'm healing. My body is more active, more energetic. My spirits are heightened. Even my reading skills have improved, Prim visits me frequently and offers to read with me and even escorts me around – though she never refers to it as escorting. The rope Beetee gave me is also helping, I must be a quarter of the way done with the knots by now. Due in part because I still don't sleep well at night and end up awake and on the edge of my bed tying things till I pass out.

Prim has a test in the school today, there aren't many children but she says they're all pretty good friends with one another. When she leaves I get bored in the hospital and figure I'd like to walk around by myself now, possibly go see Beetee. I check in with the lady at the front desk before I leave, she always greets me with a huge smile. I'm one of the only patients who can even walk around so I've become the most familiar face around here.

"Oh, of course," she has bright orange hair, the kind people in the Capitol would pay millions for. She's plump and not very pretty but she's very nice, "Make sure you have your rope with you like the doctors prefer," She smiles handing me some rope. This woman always offers me some before I head out, even though the piece from Beetee has never left my hand.

"I've got it already," I nod as I head off. I've explored most of District 13 now, the underground part at least. There's the hospital, the school where sometimes I wait for Prim, even though she spends most of her time in the hospital. There's the dining hall and several other conference rooms. I'm not sure which hallway I'm in now, they all start to feel the same after a while but as I make my way further down the bright white halls I see a sign on a peculiar metal door. Command.

I knock on the door out of curiosity, I've been in the room before... haven't I? A middle-aged man presses the door open and looks me over, "I don't think you belong here, we can have an escort take you back," He starts to motion to someone as I spot Haymitch at the table.

"Haymitch!" I smile, waving into the room as he looks up at me, confused as I duck under the man and enter the room. Plutarch is there and offers me the same glance and I feel that I'm reading the room wrong. That maybe they don't want me to be here, but so many thoughts are conflicting at the moment I can't place anyone in particular at the moment.

"Finnick, I don't think you should be here," he says this calmly as his eyes look to two large men lurking in the corners.

"No, I am. They said I could walk around," my voice changes and yet again I can't remove it from the powerless, boyish desperation.

The gray haired woman walks over to greet me, she smiles at me and tries to remove the tension from the scene, "Nice to meet you Finnick Odair, I've heard a lot about you and what you've done and I think we can at least have a formal introduction together," we shake hands and she starts again, "I am President Coin, if you ever need anything you shouldn't hesitate to ask."

"What is it you have there Finnick?" Haymitch points to me, gently. I look up, starting to get worried and anxious as I wrap my hands around the rope.

"Oh, Beetee got it for me," I run it through my hands, "It's like a therapy thing... to distract me?" I'm not sure why this comes out as a question but I can do nothing to stop it.

"You ready Boggs? If we want to get to District Eight and get the shots we need we'll have to leave now. Katniss is still getting ready to board," Gale walks in adjusting some fancy uniform and gun as he nods to the man who stopped me before.

Everyone's off doing things, and I want to do something useful for a change too, "Don't leave without me," I smile over at Gale, "I'm coming too!"

"Absolutely not, Finnick," Haymitch says in his usual voice, standing up and trying to get me to sit down, "you are nowhere near ready for something like this." He shakes his head as I lower my face in a disappointed manner, "And your little puppy face doesn't work when it looks like you've just escaped the mental ward." He doesn't finish his statement, but I know he wants to throw in there that I already have escaped the mental ward.

I start getting upset and though I've had better luck with controlling my emotions I still can't crack it completely just yet. So, instead I follow my instincts and dart out of the room, heading up several flights of stairs to the outer airs of District Thirteen. Fresh air hits me and it feels amazing, I sense people following me as I make my way to a hovercraft where I spot the tell-tale braid of Katniss – she will be on my side.

"Katniss! They're not letting me go with you guys!" I start to instinctively tie the knots again, not even counting them. I sound desperate in my plea as Gale and Boggs move past me leaving two escorts who must be waiting for me to finish.

The Mockingjay slaps her face, in a way an adult would do to humor a child, "I forgot Finnick! Beetee made a trident for you and it's down in the Weapon Room!"

A trident... A trident! Memories of the weapon used on the water come to me and they're not muddled with Capitol torture scenes or Hunger Games. Nothing has ever changed with tridents, they signify home. With a new grin I eagerly yell up to Katniss as her crew surrounds her, "I better get down there, then!"

"Maybe some pants first, Finnick?"

I look down and for the first time in these few weeks I realize how ridiculous I look in the hospital gown. It all makes sense as to why Gale eyes me with pity, why people don't take me seriously, why Haymitch isn't ready to trust me. This outfit makes me look weak and injured and essentially undoes everything I've accomplished so far. Well, to hell with all that.

I rip off the gown and strike a pose where I place my arms on the back of my head and stick out my crotch, showing off the underwear I've been left in. Katniss blushes and starts to laugh. I decide to respond to her original question, "Why? Do you find this..." I flip back my hair while bringing up one finger to my lip in order to pull it down as I wink, "distracting?"

"I'm only human Odair!" She heads into the hovercraft after throwing me one more smile and I gladly walk back inside the homes of District Thirteen, leaving my clothes wherever they may be. I head to the elevator with the escorts but they must figure that past interaction with Katniss means I'm not totally going crazy so they let me head down to Weapons without them following. It's a new day.


Ah, the scene they left out of the movie. ;) Thanks for reading!