Thank you lovely readers for all the love I've received with my comeback! You guys are just AMAZING! To answer a few DM's I had over the weekend, yes Finnick will indeed not die. I know that when I started writing this back in 2013 I said he would, but I just don't feel it. I re-watched Mockingjay 2 and his scene kills me every time. I already know who will take his place and I hope you guys don't hate me for it, but it's a character I didn't really care for in the saga. As for Annie, she will have mental issues, but Finnick will always be there for her and she'll be a leader in the rebellion.
HAPPY READING!
Try harder, Miss Cresta. We are all watching.
I never knew how much I could come to hate the smell of roses. It clings to every inch of my new home in the Victors Village, there is no room that doesn't reek of the flowers even after Finnick had thrown them out weeks ago. He had been so angry and his eyes…I had never seen him so afraid.
Rival and another victor, Hyperion had helped remove the roses my first night after I had tried calming Finnick down to no avail. He was a man on a mission that night, throwing vase after vase out of the house. As for the card, he tore it from my hand and ripped it to shreds. Yet he couldn't erase what it said. What it warned me.
President Snow had not been convinced by my act.
I run a hand through my hair as I sit at the dining table, staring at the various images of me that adorn the walls, my morning tea now long forgotten. The house is quiet. Too quiet. I wish my parents had agreed to moving in with me, but they had told me that this was my home and that I deserved my privacy. I think they had just chosen to go home because mama had seen Finnick's expression falter when Mags had told him it was time to leave and that they would see me in the morning.
I was sure on my face was the same expression.
The thought of us being separated once again was almost too much to bear. I couldn't imagine not sleeping in his arms or having him calm me from the nightmares. Finnick thought the same without a doubt – he said he slept better with me near.
Marina and Coral had been sad at not being able to live with me, but I had assured them they could visit at any hour. Their happy faces had brought a ray of light into my heart, breaking through the darkness.
Your family must be very proud.
Chills run through me at the memory of President Snow's words. Perhaps it was safer for them to be away from this house, away from what it represented.
As if, I laugh inwardly.
It didn't matter where they lived or if I tried keeping them away from this new life I'd be forced to endure. President Snow could easily get to them if he wanted and while I tried not to think of that, getting to know the other victors made me see the horrific reality.
Most of them had no family.
I didn't want to pry, but it was hard not noticing. Finnick had said they'd all gone through their own personal form of hell and all they had now was the company of their fellow victors. Mags was the one that cared for them – showering them with affection and the occasional reprimand that made them laugh. Poseidon was the father figure. He and my father had been in the same training class and at times would stop by the shop to visit with him. Poseidon still mentored at the career center, but it seemed like he did it more to help their chances of survival than because he enjoyed it.
They were a family, the victors. A family that had come together because of their shared pain and trauma. I was now a part of that family. They had all given me my space but had made sure I knew I wasn't alone, Oceana especially. She…She was like me.
Crazy? the voices laugh.
I ignore them, reaching for my tea and taking a drink. My nose wrinkles, the cold taste of cinnamon not at all pleasant.
Knock. Knock.
My head turns to the door, a smile on my face at the persistent knocking that surely would annoy anyone else.
"You know most people can hear the first knock," I say once I open the door, revealing a grinning Finnick with a basket in hand.
"But what's the fun in that?"
I bite my lip, laughing softly. "Good morning, Finnick."
"Morning, Miss Cresta. Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Be my guest," I step aside, motioning him to come in.
"Don't mind if I do."
The moment the door is shut his lips are on mine, pressing me against the wall with his hand buried in my hair. I moan into the kiss and lace my arms around his neck, wanting him closer and letting out a frustrated groan when this is as close as we can get. Well technically there is another way…We still haven't gone farther than passionate kisses in the shower, but I know he wants to. I want to. It's just…Finnick thinks I need to adapt to my new reality, and I think he's right. I still needed time to find figure everything out, especially after the warning.
"Good morning," he says again, smiling down at my breathless expression.
I smile. "Good morning."
"Miss me?"
"A lot."
His smile widens. "Breakfast?" he shows the basket to me.
"You cooked?"
He walks over to the dining table, setting down the basket and pulling out a loaf of seaweed bread, raspberries and blueberries, as well as some other sugary sweets.
"I purchased…"
I take a raspberry from the bunch and toss it into my mouth, enjoying the little fruit that normally would have been too expensive to buy. My mother would get these on special occasions to decorate the cake for one of our birthdays or sometimes Cordelia – the merchant that sold them would offer me some when I helped her on the rare day I had spare time. I guess now I didn't need to think about money or if something was too expensive to have.
"Do you know how to cook?" I tease.
"Define cooking."
I giggle around another raspberry. "I thought we were going to have breakfast with Mags."
Breakfast at Mags was a tradition that she had implemented for the victors. We could do whatever we wanted after, but in the mornings she wanted a moment of normalcy. One could only miss if there was a reason other than "I was drunk all night and still am this morning". I was the only one that got a pass if I couldn't make it, as long as it was because I was having breakfast with my family.
"I wanted you all to myself."
"You said that to Mags?"
He takes a bite from the seaweed bread after plating some for me. "My exact words. I'm her favorite so I get to do whatever I want."
"I'm sure the others love that."
"Rival gets jealous from time to time. It's fun annoying him," he tosses a blueberry into his mouth.
"Are the two of you close?"
"Me and Rival?"
I nod.
Finnick shrugs. "Not really. To be honest I think Mags is the only one that actually likes me…"
"I like you," I kiss him sweetly before feeding him another blueberry.
"You love me," he corrects.
"I love you."
He leans in for another kiss. "I love you more. As for Rival…Oceana is really the only one he spends time with. I think he hated me for winning the games so young."
"Why would he hate you for that?"
"His brother was also fourteen when he got reaped."
My brows knit together. I had only been a baby during Rival's Games, and they were rarely remembered so I don't recall much of his life, let alone him having a brother.
"His brother was reaped the year after he became victor," Finnick continues.
"The odds had nothing to do with him being reaped a year after did they?"
"Rival didn't do what he was told to do. His brother…River…he was never going to make it out alive. Rival had disobeyed and River payed the price."
"How did he die?"
Finnick glanced down at his piece of bread before looking back up at me. "Mutts. They came after the careers and he got hurt."
I stare at him, knowing that he had spared me from the truth. Mutts didn't just hurt you; they were made to kill and whatever happened to River…It had destroyed Rival.
"Rival was supposed to mentor me, but he didn't want to and so Mags took over. When I got out of the arena…I think he wonders why I had been able to get out and not his brother."
"He can't blame you for surviving," I take his hand in mine.
"He tried being there for me when I lost my parents – that was when he told me what had happened to River."
"And Oceana? Is she his…"
"His Annie?"
I smile shyly. "Yes."
"They've been together for years now. Mags says she wore him down with her cookies and innocence."
"She is very sweet. Her cookies are also amazing, I'd love to get her recipe."
He smiles. "You should visit her one of these days. I'm sure she'd love to have some company and it'll be good for you too."
I pick at my piece of bread. "Maybe I should…talk to her."
"You're still hearing the voices," he says rather than asks.
"Not as much," I lie.
"Anwyn."
I sigh deeply. "They come and go – some days are better than others. My parents are starting to notice. I laughed the other day when I had dinner with them…"
"You laughed? What's wrong with that?"
"No one said anything funny."
He pressed his lips together, trying to find the right words.
"I'll ask her later today if I can visit. It'll give me something to do other than just be here or at Mags."
"We could always go to the town square. Maybe visit the shops –"
"No," I quickly say. "I'm not ready for that. I don't want to see anyone…I don't want to see them."
Finnick knows exactly who I was referring to. For the past three weeks I had hidden away in the Victors Village, avoiding the two people I feared seeing most. Coral and Marina had wanted me to join them at the fish market the other day, but thankfully our parents had told them that I still needed my rest when I cowered at the idea.
"You can't stay here forever, Annie. People are starting to wonder why they haven't seen you around."
I roll my eyes. "Tell them I'm too busy redecorating the house or just staring at a mirror all day long. I honestly don't care what they think. I'm not ready to go out and have everyone staring at me."
He rubs a hand down the side of his face, and I feel horrible for being so difficult when he's only trying to help.
"I'm sorry," I lace our fingers together. "I shouldn't take my frustration out on you. I know you're right about going out, but…" I close my eyes, taking a deep breath before looking back at him. "Maybe next week we can go to the bakery or visit my father's shop. I just can't go to the fish market."
"No fish market," he agrees with a smile.
I return his smile before a thought crosses my mind, one that I've had for days now. "Finnick?"
"Hmm?"
I bite my bottom lip.
"What is it?"
"Could I give them money? I don't want them to worry about getting by."
"You could overpay for the fish…We all try helping the merchants in whatever way can, but we technically aren't allowed to just hand out money."
I shake my head. "I want to do more. His father got hurt last year with one of the hooks and you know that sometimes the catch isn't that good, most of it goes to the Capitol…I can't let them starve."
"Annie…"
"Please," I press his hand to my lips.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Fin."
He touches my cheek gently, his thumb running over my bottom lip. I know he wants to tell me how bad of an idea it was for me to give my money to the family, now more than ever with Snow watching my every move no doubt, but I'm glad that he doesn't voice his concerns. Right now I just needed to do this. I needed to help them.
Finnick understands that.
He knows me.
Knows the girl that tried to save the boy with no head.
The girl that went back for the sweet boy that was too kind for this world.
So he says nothing.
Well, not nothing. What he does say makes me laugh and this is what I love most about him – that even when I felt that the sun could not shine, Finnick would always bring me happiness in this cold world.
"You really should change the décor," he looks at my portraits. "Maybe get a couple portraits of me in here. A statue of me, now that would be amazing!"
"It'll definitely give the place more personality, but what am I supposed to tell everyone when they see your face on every wall?"
"That you're obsessed with me," he grazes my lips with his.
"Obsessed?"
"Or you could tell them you're in love with me…" he bites my lip this time.
"That sounds better…"
"You're deeply, irrevocably in love with me…"
"Mmhm. I'll tell them those exacts words."
"I'll get the portraits by tomorrow," he finally kisses me passionately, our breakfast and my darkness left forgotten.
"Please, Annie! Say yes! Please. Please. Please."
I stare at Marina and Coral as they beg me to finally leave my house and join the other victors on their day out in the ocean.
Finnick had recruited the two into his plan when his own pout hadn't convinced me and now all three were giving me pitiful expressions that reminded me of puppies out in the rain. My parents looked on amused at the ridiculous sight, neither one voicing their opinion. Although I knew they also wished for me to get out of the house.
"Please, Annie! Pretty please!"
I let out an exasperated breath. "I don't see why not."
The three cheer, my little traitors hugging me around the waist.
"Mama. Papa. Annie said yes!"
"We heard, my loves," Mama smiles dotingly at them.
Papa stared at Finnick, taking note of his closeness to me and the way I unintentionally leaned into his warmth before looking to my sisters. "Well then if Annie is sure, let's go home and get your bathing suits."
They're out the door faster than I could blink, their laughter fading with the gentle afternoon breeze as they run off.
"Oh those two, they know not to run off! We'll see you in a bit, little lady," Mama gives me a kiss on my cheek before following after them.
Papa shakes his head with a laugh. "She won't catch them. They're probably already on their way back."
I laugh in agreement. "They're quite fast."
"They take after their sister. We'll be back soon," he kisses the crown of my head and then nods to Finnick as he leaves. "Finnick."
"Mr. Cresta," Finnick smiles.
Once the door is closed behind him, I turn to Finnick and give him an amused look much like the one I had when he and my sisters had joined ranks.
"What?" he grins, pulling me into his arms.
"I see you've charmed my sisters. Should I be jealous that you're now their favorite?"
Finnick laughs, kissing my cheek happily. "They were easier to win over than the eldest Miss Cresta that's for sure."
"Is that so?"
"Mmhm," he murmurs, sliding his lips from my cheek down to my lips. "She just wouldn't fall for my charm."
"And who told you she didn't?"
"Oh?"
I smile against our kiss. "You had her charmed from the start."
"Really?"
"Really."
In truth I hadn't been immune to the Finnick Odair charm, but it had been the broken soul that I had fallen for. The honesty in his eyes, the way his hands shook when he touched me as if too shy to do so, and the heart that could only be made of the finest gold was what really made me love him.
…
…
…
Coral and Marina shrieked happily as they played in the ocean, splashing at each other and collecting seashells. I watch them from afar, a smile on my face at their innocence.
An innocence you no longer have, murderer.
No, no I don't.
My innocence was tainted by the Games and I couldn't change that. I couldn't laugh so carefree as my sisters, not when my hands were covered in blood. Still I smiled at their delight because their happiness was all that mattered.
The other victors are scattered around. Mags is sitting on a blanket a few feet away, chatting with Poseidon and my parents. Pearl was staring out into the ocean with a bottle of wine in her hand, the breeze tousling her shoulder-length red hair. A few others stood with Hyperion while some of the older victors made nets or simply sat there, enjoying the sun.
I sat with Finnick on a beautifully knitted blanket that Rival and Oceana had brought, the female victor having practically pulled me down to sit next to her. We had gotten close after I'd visited her a few days back, after I told her about the voices and the madness that seemed to devour with every passing day. It was easy talking to her.
She was just like me.
Not in every way, but still…
Staring out into the glistening ocean, I recall the moments where my life had been simpler. A time where the water would call to me like a lover, placing salty kisses on my skin as the waves crashed against the rocks to create a soothing melody. But today as I sit in front of the endless body of water, I find no joy in it. I no longer see its beauty as I once did. No longer do I find peace in being so close to it.
The girl that swam to victory!
"Anwyn!"
"Sorry," I turn to Oceana once my mind had snapped back. "I was just…Sorry, what were you saying to me?"
Oceana offers me a small smile. "I asked if you wanted to make something," she holds up a leather box filled with all sorts of trinkets – shells, beads, and colorful pieces of cord.
"Sure," I say, taking the box from her.
Back in the Capitol, Finnick had told me about the piece of rope he always kept, of how if he focused on all the different types of knots he could make then he wouldn't have to think. Most of the time I try to focus on something other than the madness, but with the ocean so near it's almost impossible to keep my fear from showing.
My hands shake as I grab one of the blue cords and a spiral shell, dropping them more than a few times as I hear the waves slamming into the rocks just like they had slammed into me. Finnick and Rival notice, their eyes on my hands, but I try ignoring it until Oceana hands the cord back to me after my fifth attempt at braiding it.
"It's alright," she says soothingly. "It's a bit cold out, right?"
I smile at her, grateful that Oceana knew what to say when I felt that I had no control over my reactions. She too had gone through the constant worried looks from those around her and that feeling of helplessness as our own minds tried to break us.
After another try, I'm able to braid the cord and pass the shell through it. The necklace is nothing special compared to the jewels made in District 1 and worn by the Capitol citizens, but still I gift it to Finnick.
"Here," I place it in his hand.
"For me?"
I nod. "For you. It means forever, the spiral shell."
"Forever," he runs his thumb over the shell before looking at me with that dimpled smile. "I love it. Thank you."
Out of the corner of my eye I see Rival and Oceana share a smile, the two victors no doubt aware that there was more to Finnick and I than the mentor and tribute relationship. They'd gone through something similar after all. I didn't bother hiding it. From the way Oceana ran out of my house after seeing the roses and what happened to Rival's brother, I'm sure they wouldn't be sipping tea with President Snow anytime soon.
"I used to sell jewelry," Oceana tells me. "My grandmother had a stand and we would make all sorts of things."
I look at the sea glass bracelet she was making, her talent evident as she connected piece by piece to a silver bangle. "It's lovely," I say. "You're very good."
"You can have it once I'm done. I always make so many pieces that I like giving them away, this one will look beautiful on you."
Rival kisses her temple as she continues working – he was a man of few words, but I could tell he was deeply in love with her. He also seemed very happy at seeing her enjoying our day out with everyone. Finnick had said that her good days were few and far in between, today though seemed to be a good day.
For a second I wonder if I would slip as far as she had? Would my days be just as hard? Her mind had already been frail after the loss of her parents at a young age and the Games had finished the job, but me…I had killed and that had changed me. Would my madness be worst?
"Annie!"
I turn to see my sisters racing over to me, Marina pulling at my arm. "Come swim with us!"
"What?" my eyes widen.
"Come swim," Coral begs.
"I'm…I'm tired, little starfish."
"But you've just been sitting this whole time," Marina pouted.
Coral nods. "Yeah! Don't you want to play with us anymore?"
"Why don't I play with you beautiful ladies," Finnick suggests. "We can try finding pearls, doesn't that sound fun!"
They shake their heads, eyes still on me. "Please, Annie! We want you play with you!"
Everyone was starting to stare at us. Our parents were ready to intervene but before they do I make up my mind and just give in to Marina and Coral. I hated them thinking that I no longer wanted to spend time with them or worst yet them thinking that I was just as the Capitol depicted me – uncaring and frivolous.
"Okay," I murmur.
"Anwyn," Finnick takes my hand, not oblivious to the fear in my voice.
"It's fine. They're right, I want to play with them."
"Are you sure?"
I nod and let Marina pull me towards the ocean, Coral happily running in front of us. I want to run back. The sound of the waves crashing make me tremble and I feel like fainting or throwing up, perhaps both. I shouldn't have said yes. I didn't want them to be disappointed with me though.
Are you going to drown them just like you drowned the others?
My hands are shaking. All of me is shaking. I want Finnick. I should go back. If I go in the water I'll drown. Marina and Coral, they'll drown too.
"Come on, Annie! The water feels so good!"
I try to breathe. I try telling myself as my feet touch the water that I'm not in the Games. That this isn't the arena. I try to be brave. But I'm not. I know that I'm not. I'm coward that let everyone die. I can't breathe.
The water is now at my waist, my sisters are swimming on their backs and whistling along with the birds. They don't notice my fear. They don't see the bodies of the fallen. I see them. I see everything.
Swim. Swim. Swim.
Tributes from District 1 and District 4, you are the final two!
Keep swimming, Anwyn!
You have to win!
Tell my family I tried…
There's a wave coming. Marina and Coral swim away from it, but I don't. My body is frozen as I relive every moment of that final day in the arena. I remember drowning. I remember fighting the beast as I struggle to breathe. I can't breathe. I'm drowning again.
"Anwyn!"
"Annie, watch out!"
"Anwyn!"
The wave crashes into me and I'm pulled under instantly. I tried with great effort to swim back up to the surface, but I sink faster. My heart starts beating frantically, desperate for oxygen. I hear screams from all around me. Were they mine? I'm not sure.
I'm drowning.
I can't swim anymore.
There's blood everyone.
I see their bodies floating back up to the surface, flesh and bones ready to decay in the currents.
This time I'm sure it's me screaming.
The darkness is swallowing me whole and there's nothing I can do.
I'm suddenly pulled back up to the surface, a strong body holding onto me as they quickly swim to shore. But I still can't breathe. The fear of what happened in the arena is a part of me that I can't forget, and I never will.
The girl that swam to victory!
My body falls on the sand. I'm coughing up water and crying loudly, begging to be let out of the arena. There are hands on me, trying to soothe my pain, but I cower away.
"Don't touch me! Please don't touch me! Don't touch me!"
"Annie, sweetheart, it's alright –"
"There's blood in the water. They're dead! I killed them!"
"Anwyn, you're safe. You're not in the arena. You're home, Anwyn. It's okay."
That voice. I know that voice. I cling onto that voice. It's Finnick. He's here. He won't let them take me back into the arena.
But he can't keep you safe, the voices laugh. He has as much power as you. Neither of you is safe.
"Adira take Marina and Coral home. I'll stay with Anwyn."
"Mama is Annie going to be okay?"
"Is it our fault? We didn't mean to hurt her."
My sisters…I can hear my sisters, but the darkness doesn't want to leave me alone. I can't console my sisters. I can't tell them that none of this was their fault. That is was the Capitol's fault. They did this to me. They are to blame.
They broke me.
"Annie, listen to my voice. I'm here with you. None of it is real – this isn't the arena. Please, Annie, listen to my voice."
I do. I lean into Finnick's strength and find to pull myself from the darkness.
"It's not real," I repeat over and over, rocking myself back and forth. "It's not real. I'm not in the arena. I'm back in District 4. I survived. It's not real."
The darkness that kissed my skin and whispered excitedly into my ears begins to fade as it always does. My mind snaps back painfully and my eyes no longer see the arena nor the dead bodies floating in the water. The ocean is calm. The breeze chills my wet body even more, my teeth chattering. I can see the Victors Village not too far from where we were.
I'm back in District 4.
This isn't the Capitol. I'm not in the arena because I survived. I got out. But my mind didn't.
They're staring at me, the victors and my father. Finnick is holding me, my nails digging into the smooth skin of his arms. He's wet too. He had pulled me out from the ocean. My father and Rival were also wet, not as much, but still I know they had also tried going in after me.
I feel a blanket covering me and then a gentle hand touching my hair, it's Pearl. "We need to get her back, she's cold as ice."
Finnick lifts me into his arms, my head falling against his shoulder as if it weighed too much and my left hand is resting on his chest, right above his heart. I can feel it beating, the soft rhythm calming me as I look back into the ocean.
The Mermaid of Panem.
I was from District 4 – the fishing district. I learned to swim before I could even walk. I loved the water.
It stares back at me, taunting me just as the crown and the voices did.
The Capitol had truly broken me.
I was from District 4.
I was a mermaid, they said.
But I was afraid of the water.
It had tried to drown me.
I couldn't swim anymore.
They had broken me.
…
…
…
"This will help her sleep through the night," Mags tells Finnick and my father after she feeds me a spoonful of brown syrup.
I feel Finnick nod against my head.
He's still holding me, the only time he had let go was when Oceana and Pearl had helped me dress. I hold onto him too, my fingers drawing circles into his chest, never-ending circles that go around and around. I stare blankly at my fingers. Trying to forget all about today.
I shouldn't have gone in the water.
I had scared everyone with my screams. I had scared my sweet, little sisters. I had pulled away from my parents' touch as if it were rabid.
"Finnick, could I speak with Anwyn?" I vaguely hear my father ask.
"Of course," Finnick replies after a moment. He didn't want to let me go, but he couldn't say no to my father.
"Thank you."
"I'll be downstairs, okay? I'm going to leave you with your father," Finnick murmurs softly in my ear.
I nod.
My father lies down next to me when Mags and Finnick are out of the room, his hand running through my hair as he places a kiss on the crown of my head. Neither one of says anything for minutes or perhaps hours, I'm not sure. He just holds me.
"Do you know that when I found you it was the happiest day of my life," he says. "I was going to volunteer that year…"
I looked up at him.
"I was eighteen, it was my final year of eligibility. Everyone kept on telling me I was one of the best and I'd win. The week before the reaping, I found you by the ocean. You were so small, so fragile. I'd never seen anyone more beautiful. I knew that I had to take you to the community home, but I just couldn't."
His hand finds mine, smiling as he recalls the moment he became my father.
"You smiled at me and your little hand grabbed onto mine with so much strength. I knew then that I couldn't give you up. When I showed you to your mother, she knew too. We would love you like our own. You are our daughter from that first moment. It's why I didn't volunteer. I wanted to stay with you and care for you. I couldn't leave you."
My fingers tighten around his hand.
"I don't…" he sighs. "I can't tell you that I understand how you feel. I can't say anything that will make all this go away, what you lived, what you saw. I can't. You're too pure to have gone in the Games. But I know you're a fighter. Anwyn, you've always been a fighter. You're stronger than anyone else, even when you think you aren't –"
"I'm broken," I whisper. "They broke me."
He takes a deep breath "No, not my Anwyn. You are capable of pulling through. Of getting back up when they want you to stand down. I saw it, Annie. I saw what everyone else did. You can't ever think that you aren't able to get back up. They don't know you, not like I do. Don't be ashamed of your scars. It simply means that you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you."
A tear rolls down my cheek.
In a less than five months I would be broken even more than I already am. But my father's words would forever be with me until the day I took the dagger that was always at my throat and move it to theirs – to everyone that laid a finger on me. I would fight. I would take every piece that had been broken and fight back harder.
Tonight. Tonight I can do nothing more than close my eyes and try to wield the memories away, at least for a few. The fear was crippling, but my father and Finnick, and so many others believed that I had the strength to keep going. Perhaps one day they would all be right…
As I succumb to sleep, I can hear the door opening and then Finnick's voice, but maybe I'm just dreaming.
"She fell asleep," Finnick says.
"She just did. Would you stay with her? I'm going to go to my house for a few hours and then I'll come back, her mother and the girls are probably worried."
"Of course."
"You care about her don't you?"
Silence.
"I love her."
Again, silence.
"I know that you've seen me with –"
"I'm not judging you, Finnick. I know that you love her. I've seen the way you two are with each other, the way you were able to calm her today. Thank you. Thank you for being with her. I know she loves you too. I've never seen her look at someone like she looks at you."
"I know that I'm not good enough for her –"
"Anwyn thinks you are. I personally don't think anyone could ever be good enough her, but she loves you. I just need to ask you for one thing, if I can?"
"Anything, Mr. Cresta."
"Never leave her alone."
"Never."
It was a promise Finnick would keep, until the end of our days. I would lose my family, but Finnick would always be with me.
Always.
Our love was forever.
I don't know if it was a dream. If my father and Finnick even spoke at all. All I knew was that when I felt someone wrap their arms around me, I felt a strength that would keep me alive.