She was underwater, spinning end over end, nearly pulled apart by raging current. She couldn't breathe. Just before her lungs burst, the flood coughed her up onto Cornucopia. The impact stunned her, paralyzed her. Annie's head lolled against one shoulder, and it was then that she saw Finnick lying beside her—his eyes wide and empty, his throat ripped open, a cavern of blood and and raw flesh. His name tumbled off her lips, but before she could reach him, Enobaria emerged from the vacuum of the Cornucopia's mouth and pinned her back against the rock. Finnick's blood still ran down her chin, still glazed her teeth as she bared them, drew back for the death bite-
Panic erupted from her throat, and Annie found herself screaming at a dark ceiling. She reached out for Finnick, as she did on so many nights, knowing he would take her into his arms and coax her back to sleep. But her hand brushed across bare sheets. Finnick was gone, lost to the Capitol. Grief bubbled from her lips in gasps.
A wrinkled hand caressed her cheek. Mags perched on the edge of her bed, her eyes glinting in concern.
Annie choked back her tears, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Mags shook her head insistently as she smoothed Annie's hair from her damp forehead.
"I'm fine," her voice trembled as she wiped at her eyes. "Please, go back to sleep." Annie sucked in a breath. She needed to hold it together. Every hour that passed not knowing whether Finnick was dead or alive or in pain ebbed at her sanity bit by bit, turning her from stone to sand. She could feel her heart ready to burst, but if Dr. Aurelius knew how close she was to breaking, he'd have her locked away for sure. Mad girls make poor propaganda.
Mags squeezed her hand, and Annie jumped at the chill in her skin.
"Mags, are you cold?"
She shook her head, but Annie couldn't ignore her shivering. The piped-in, clinical air was much colder here than in District 4, and they each had only a fleece blanket to keep themselves warm.
"Take my blanket," Annie pulled the threadbare fabric from her legs and offered it to Mags. She tried to refuse it, but Annie wrapped it around her shoulders. "Please. I'll get another one in the morning."
Reluctantly, Mags returned to her own bed, extra blanket in tow. Annie crossed her arms around herself and listened to her fall asleep, listened to the soft snore that assured her she at least wasn't alone. But she couldn't do the same. Annie spent the night turning on her bed, pulling at loose threads on her sleeve until their alarm finally signaled them to rise and begin their daily schedule.
She worked at the relief package assembly line for hours at a time, taping up box after box until her fingers were plastered with leftover bits of plastic. At home, she could spend hours reading, collecting and sorting shells. But this was mindless work, tedious work. In the afternoons, most of their positions were taken up by children. It seemed President Coin thought this was all she was capable of doing.
At lunch, Annie found Mags already seated across from Johanna. Avoiding her seemed impossible, and Annie was too exhausted to try. She got herself a tray and sat silently next to Mags.
"If I have to spend one more day in this dungeon, I'm going to throw myself into a generator," Johanna started as soon as Annie's tray hit the table.
"Sorry," Annie murmured.
"I'm close to breaking out of here, you want to come with me?" Johanna raised a mischievous eyebrow.
"No thanks." She glanced at Mags, who only shrugged.
"Come on, Cresta, what else do you have to do?" Johanna kicked her underneath the table.
Annie drew her legs away, "I told you, I don't want to get in trou-"
The Capitol's anthem trumpeted through the room and sent a scream racing up Annie's throat. For a moment, she was in the arena, when Mags squeezed her hand and anchored her back to the table, stifled her cry. Annie blinked back into the cafeteria to see everyone looking to the monitors behind her, and she followed their gaze over her shoulder just in time to see Caesar Flickerman's face appear on screen.
"Hello, good evening, and a big welcome to all in Panem. I'm Caesar Flickerman, and whoever you are, whatever it is you're doing, stop doing it, because you're going to want to witness this, tonight."
"What's going on?" Annie murmured back at Johanna, who ignored her as she glared up at the screen.
"There has been rampant speculation about what really happened in the Quarter Quell," Caesar continued, his expression more solemn than usual. "And here to shed a little light on the subject, we have two very special guests. Please welcome Mr. Peeta Mellark, and Mr. Finnick Odair."
Annie's blood turned cold as the camera cut to Caesar's guests. Sure enough, Finnick and Peeta sat side by side, polished and handsome in trim white suits.
"Thanks for having us, Caesar," Finnick greeted the host in his syrupy Capitol voice, a smile on his face. Peeta was nodding along, his eyes wide, his shoulders stiff. They were both alive.
Across the room, Katniss Everdeen was standing, her mouth agape. But Annie couldn't move. Her body was numb. She could hardly feel Mags squeezing her hand.
Caesar leaned forward in his chair, towards the camera, "Gentlemen, please talk us through what really happened on that final and controversial night."
"We were allies," Peeta explained haltingly. "We got separated in the wave. I was just trying to get back to Katniss."
"And you, Finnick?" Caesar prompted him.
Finnick tilted his head to one side, speaking as if the subject didn't interest him, "I'd been waiting for something like that to happen. Beetee and Peeta were going to help me take out the Careers, then I was going to take them out, no offense." He glanced at Peeta, who gave a half-hearted shrug. "I figured the others were already dead. I was about to win."
"So you were intending to win?" Caesar asked.
"Of course," Finnick cocked his chin. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you seemed to be working very hard to keep your Allies alive."
His lips tightened in a smile, "Isn't that how the Games work? Gain your Allies' trust, use them to take out the competition, then finish them off."
Caesar raised his eyebrows as he turned to his other guest, "And what about you, Peeta?"
"All I wanted to do was protect Katniss," Peeta told him.
"Well, there has been speculation that you were part of a rebel plan."
"No, we didn't know anything about a rebel plan, we weren't part of any plan!" Peeta insisted. The fervor in his voice prompted Finnick to roll his eyes.
"Alright, I believe you," Caesar held up a hand to calm him. He shifted in his seat, tugging the hem of his jacket into place as he asked, "And what would the two of you say to Katniss Everdeen about the unrest she's incited?"
Peeta gulped back a breath. "There's been enough bloodshed," he said, his words stunted.
Finnick leaned forward to add, "Katniss Everdeen is a coward. There's nothing revolutionary about what she did, and it's sure as hell not worth dying for."
An indignant gasp swelled through the cafeteria. The members of District 13 began to stand, shouting protest.
"Are you calling for a ceasefire?" Caesar asked, his voice barely audible over the swell of the crowd.
The two Victors nodded in tandem, "Yes, we are."
"Traitors!" The word reverberated off the walls, rising to a frenzied chant. The men and women around them were stomping their feet, pounding their fists on the table. Their eyes were wide, flashing white with rage. Katniss Everdeen ran out of the room, and Johanna jumped to her feet, practically leapt over the table to grab Annie's arm,
"Come on!"
But Annie could hardly breathe. She looked to Mags, who nodded for her to go, and before she could protest, Johanna towed her from her seat, racing after Katniss. They caught her just around the corner, halfway down the hall.
"Hey!" Johanna shouted at her back. "Hey!"
"What?" Katniss turned to them in exasperation, her hands curled into fists.
Johanna scoffed at her indigence, "Are you going to do something?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know, you're the Mockingjay. Tell Coin to go get them!"
"You think they'd be safe here? Didn't you hear them?" Katniss cast her hand back in the direction of the cafeteria, and Annie could see the tears brimming in her eyes from across the hall.
"Who cares about them?" Johanna retorted. "You're just going to let Snow keep Peeta? I bet he's torturing him! Why else would he have said any of that?"
"Johanna," the name was a gasp in Annie's throat. She know Johanna was right, for both Peeta and Finnick. Their words hadn't been their own. There had been screams lurking behind their eyes.
Katniss shuddered as she turned away. "I can't-" her voice cracked as she ran, disappearing down the next corridor.
"Idiot," Johanna growled after her as she turned in the other direction. "Come on," she beckoned Annie once more.
"What are we supposed to do?" Annie's voice wavered. She felt sick with helplessness. How was she supposed to save Finnick from the Capitol, let alone from the wrath of District 13?
But Johanna seemed determined as she stalked back down the hallway, "We're going to Coin."