Chapter Fifty Five: Wedding?

Waking up to nightmares in an empty bed, makes me start to panic? Where is Finnick? I get up and start to run downstairs when Annie meets me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Katniss, I was just coming to see if you were awake and ready for breakfast?" She smiles excited for the day.

It's then that I remember, it's my wedding day and I'm not allowed to see Finnick that's why he wasn't in bed.

My stomach growls at her words, "Breakfast sounds good." I start to head to the kitchen.

Annie puts her hand on the stair rail blocking me, "Oh no you don't. Back upstairs with you."

"But breakfast..?"

"I will bring it up to you, you can't go in the kitchen Finnick is in the kitchen."

I hesitate. I really want to see Finnick and if I make a mad dash to the kitchen I doubt Annie would be able to stop me. I sigh, and turn around.

A few moments after I enter my room Annie comes up with a tray of food. I sit on the bed to eat it and Annie sits next to me.

"Katniss?" she asks.

I look at her, "What is it Annie?"

She crosses the room so she is standing right in front of me, "I'm really glad you are going to be my sister." She says in a quiet voice.

I smile, standing up and giving her a hug. "Me too, Annie, Me too."

As she exits my room she squeals in excitement.

After I eat I lay back down to try to take a quick nap. Since I'm confined to the upstairs, I expect the day will pass slow so a nap can't hurt. I fall asleep quickly, exhausted.

I wake up to someone shaking me, "Katniss, Katniss!"

Managing to open my eyes, I see Prim standing over me. She is already dressed in a store bought pink dress, the one we bought for her to wear at the wedding. Annie has a matching one. Looking at the window I see that it is late afternoon and we are getting married at sunset.

I sit straight up, "Prim why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"You looked so tired Katniss, we wanted to let you sleep as long as possible. In fact Finnick, insisted that you sleep."

I yawn, how did I sleep so late?

Prim and Annie come help me get ready and when I'm almost done my mom comes up to do my hair. I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a simple long sleeved white dress. It's a silky fabric unlike anything I've ever worn. It's beautiful. Cinna made it for me and he sent it with the Capitol wedding dresses knowing I would really want to wear this one. I'll have to remember to thank him again. My hair is loose around my shoulders with just the top pulled back in tiny braids. The braids look like a flower. The only thing that doesn't fit is the scars from the whips. They have almost fully healed, but the scars will always mar my face, and chest. The ones on my arm are hidden underneath the dress.

They are the only scars I have now. The Capitol erased all of my scars after I won the games. Part of me wants them to stay, as a reminder.

"Are you nervous?" Prim asks me.

I think about it for a moment, then shake my head. "No I'm not nervous. Not about marrying Finnick. I know really, it hasn't been that long but I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

Prim and Annie have tears in their eyes when there is a knock on the door.

"Ready?" Thomas, my dad asks me, and I nod.

Prim and Annie rush down stairs to take their places.

I walk with Thomas down the stairs and out the back door. The ceremony is being held in the back yard. There are flowers all over the back yard. My mom, Prim, Annie, Haymitch, and Peeta all stand off to the side watching me. When I see Finnick, in his suit, I have no doubts, I know this is exactly what I want.

And I don't think about the Capitol, about uprisings, about whippings, of about starting a rebellion. All I think about is how much I love this man.

The mayor authenticates the ceremony, and Finnick and I say our vows together at the same time. We decided to keep it simple:

"I promise to love you and protect you for the rest of my life."

Then the mayor pronounces us Husband and Wife, and Finnick is kissing me. I almost forget about the other people in the room until Haymitch clears his throat. I start to pull back, my face blushing.

The rest of the night we dance and laugh and eat. The cake that Peeta made is beautiful. He made the cake based on us. It has a forest and ocean and some how it all comes together. It was a shame to cut into it but it tastes just as good. We save all the worries for tomorrow, because it will be here soon enough.


I wake up smiling to Finnick's lips on my neck, "Good morning, Mrs. Odair."

"MMmmm I like the sound of that Mr. Odair."

He chuckles, kissing my lips and I eagerly kiss him back, "I've always been Mr. Odair, but today is your first full day as Mrs. Odair. I think we should celebrate."

I laugh at his reasoning, "Celebrate? Isn't that what our wedding was for?"

"That was to get married, now I want to celebrate you being Mrs. Odair."

"Celebrate how?" I ask innocently.

"I think I can come up with something." he says trailing kisses down my neck and stomach.

I close my eyes and enjoy feeling his lips on me, everywhere he kisses leaves a light, blissful, tingling feeling.

We spend the rest of the morning and afternoon in our room. Nobody comes to disturb us. We lay around in bed, read to each other, make love, sleep, talk, and just enjoy being with each other alone. It's the perfect first day as husband and wife.