The Ocean Rolls Us Away

Chapter 50: Annie

I sat on the old wood flood of Kately's home, sobbing against Finnick's chest. His arms gently wrapped around me, and he breathed softly on my hair. I knew that he was trying to give me some sort of comfort, but my fear for Bress' life outweighed his efforts.

I had seen people abused and beaten like this before, and every time the sound of a cannon had followed shortly after. But Bress hadn't been hurt in an arena. This had happened at home in Four, the one place left that had seemed safe. What else was the Capitol prepared to rip away from the districts, I wondered. Had Katniss Everdeen lit a spark so bright that the darkness would do everything in it's power to put it out?

"What are we going to do?" I whispered helplessly through my tears into Finnick's chest.

Finnick sighed sadly, kissing the top of my forehead. Then he breathed, "I don't know Annie…I don't know."

Kately had gone to get the doctor while Finnick and I stayed with Bress. Neither of us moved from the floor. Instead we stayed wrapped in each other's embrace. When I had cried all of the tears that were pouring from my heart, I closed my eyes and leaned against Finnick. His body rested against the couch, and both of his arms remained around me.

There was a part of me that didn't want Kately to come back because I was so afraid of what the doctor would say. I wouldn't be able to handle it if Bress died. Besides Finnick, he was all that I had left. So when Kately returned, I had to force my self to stand, though I remained close to Finnick.

As the doctor examined Bress, fear suddenly gripped my heart, and flash backs of Bress' beating replayed them selves in my mind. In panic, I clutched Finnick's hand shakily, trying to prevent my self from breaking down. Gently, he squeezed my hand, and a small wave of comfort washed over me, though I still felt the pounding of my heart in my chest.

Anxiously, I waited for the doctor to tell us if Bress would be all right. I wanted to believe with everything in me that he was ok, but there was no way that I could ignore the injuries he had sustained. A line of dry cracked blood ran from his ear, and his spine was blackened with bruises. Occasionally when the doctor would touch him, painful moans would escape from his lips. It took everything in me not to break into fits of weeping again.

When the doctor finally finished examining Bress, he turned to us gravely. I immediately felt my hands begin to tremble.

"His wounds are not fatal, he will live," the doctor began, and hope started to rise in my chest.

"But the damage done to his spine," he continued, "may cause some sort of paralysis."

When he had stopped speaking I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

"You mean…" I stuttered shakily, clutching onto Finnick's hand for support, "he won't be able to walk again?"

I bit down onto my lip, trying to prevent sobs from lurching up my throat. But my attempts did nothing to console me.

The doctor glanced at me, and then sighed sadly, "I can't say now. We'll need to get him to the hospital, and then see how he does when he's coherent."

I nodded my head, and loosened my fingers from Finnick's grasp, crossing my arms tightly across my chest. I was biting my lip so hard by then that it had begun to bleed. The taste of my own blood in my mouth reminded me of the nightmare that I'd had in the arena about Martin, and my mother's sudden death. As my memories flooded back into my mind, tears began to stream down my cheeks, and my body trembled. But before I lost sense of my self, I felt Finnick's arm wrap around my body, pulling mine close to his.

"We'll need to wait until everything dies down out there to move him to the hospital," the doctor said precariously. "For now put some ice on his bruises to calm the swelling."

"Alright," I heard Kately murmur quietly. At the end of the word, her voice caught in the back of her throat so that it was clear she was fighting tears. I looked up at her through my own tears, and saw her wiping away drops from her cheeks. It was clear to me in that moment that she truly loved Bress.

The doctor stayed for a minute longer to help apply the ice to Bress' back. Then he left the little house, probably to help another victim of the night's horror.

When the doctor had gone, I turned to Finnick and let him wrap his arms around me. There was not a part of my heart that didn't hurt. I had been right to fear what the doctor would say. And if just the idea of Bress being paralyzed made my heart break, how would I be able to handle it if it was true?

"He'll be alright," Finnick said gently as if he had heard my thoughts.

I slowly raised my head to look at his face, hoping to see the same reassurance there that was in his voice. But when I looked into his eyes, I only saw dread, that I was sure was also in mine.

For the rest of the night, we stayed with Kately at the house, waiting anxiously for the sun to rise so that we could take Bress to the hospital. She fell asleep in a chair next to the couch after a while, but I couldn't let my self do the same for fear that something might go wrong. I told Finnick that he should try and sleep too, and that I'd be fine, but he just shook his head. Then he put his arms around me until the sun rose in the morning.

It was moments like that one that reminded me why I loved Finnick so much. He was so utterly selfless, and would put anyone before himself. Bress wasn't even his brother, yet he stayed all night to make sure that everything was ok. How had I been so lucky as to deserve him?

By morning, I was exhausted after everything that had happened, and had started to doze off. My head was leaning on Finnick's shoulder, and he too had his eyes closed. I could feel the warmth of the sun just barely beginning to warm my skin as it shone through the windows. In my mind, I began to dream of summer, and the warm waves of the ocean crashing against my feet. But suddenly, in the midst of my dreaming, a loud and aggressive knocking pounded at the door.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up in sudden panic, staring at the door. Finnick woke up too, and started to stand tensely.

"Open this door! By order of President Snow!" Someone barked from outside the house.

Fear suddenly began to rise in my chest as I watched Finnick step towards the door hesitantly. By order of President Snow? I thought to my self confusedly. What would President Snow want with us? Then suddenly the truth hit me. President Snow must have known Bress' involvement in the uprising, and had sent peacekeepers to finish him off.

"I repeat, open this door, or we will be forced to enter!"

My body began tremble as I rose to my feet, and Finnick stepped in front of the door. He placed his hand on the knob and started to twist it, but I stopped him.

"Wait!" I whispered frantically, stretching my arms out towards him. Finnick turned around and looked at me worriedly. "What if they're here for Bress?" I whispered through tears building up in my eyes.

"I have to open the door Annie." He replied desolately, turning back towards the door.

My hands began to quiver as I watched the door open. Tears flooded down my cheeks like rain, and I lifted my hands to cover my mouth so that my frantic sobs wouldn't escape from my lips.

As the door swung open, I saw the bodies of two peacekeepers waiting on the other side, and my heart collapsed in my chest.

"All district citizens are required to appear in the square immediately." One of the peacekeepers barked at Finnick before he could even say a word.

Finnick nodded his head, and said, "All right, we'll be right out." Then he turned around, and walked over to me slowly.

When he was directly in front of me he leaned down, and whispered in my ear, "Bress is hidden by the door. Go wake up Kately, and don't even look down at the couch. They'll never know that he's there."

I looked up at Finnick through my tears, and shakily nodded my head. Then I slowly turned and walked over to the chair Kately was sleeping in. Softly, I shook her shoulder and she looked up at me in a sleepy haze.

"What…" She started to speak, but I just barely shook my head to signal her to stop.

Kately looked at me suddenly, with confusion and worry written in her eyes, but I did not say a word. Instead I helped her up, and the two of us walked over to Finnick.

"Hurry." One of the peacekeepers commanded, drawing Kately's attention to the door. She gasped as soon as she saw them standing there, and in that moment, she understood why we were acting the way were.

"All right," Finnick said calmly, leading Kately and me to the door. We then stepped out of the house one by one, and followed the peacekeepers to the square.

As we walked, Finnick and I hung back from them a bit, and I nervously took his hand.

"What's going on?" I whispered through trembling lips.

Finnick did not lower his gaze to meet mine, and instead kept his eyes forward.

"I'm not sure." He whispered back, squeezing my hand in an attempt to give me comfort. But the fear, and confusion rising in my chest stopped any comfort from reaching my heart.

When we reached the square, there was already a large crowd of people gathered. Everyone was facing the Justice Building where a peacekeeper stood on a tall scaffolding, along with five district citizens.

"You are all called here today to witness the Capitols just retribution to your defiance." The peacekeepers hard voice boomed across the square, making a shudder run up my spine. I watched anxiously, expecting him to continue with his speech, but not another word passed from his lips. Instead he stepped away from the microphone, and walked over towards what looked like a lever sticking out of the scaffolding.

"Holy shit..." I heard Finnick exclaim suddenly, staring up at the stage in horror.

"What?" I said confusedly as I glanced around. People in the crowd began to rile up, and I stared up at the stage, trying to see what was going on. I looked at the five people lined up on the scaffolding. Their faces were all stricken with fear. That was when I noticed the yellow looped ropes around their necks, and before I had anytime to even react, the peacekeeper pulled the lever, and their bodies dropped into holes beneath their feet. Instantly, screams of horror filled the air, my own joining in the chorus.