Finnick POV
Annie won. She was alive. Never in my dreams had I dared to imagine. Both of us were well, and we'd be spending the rest of our lives together. Both of us had pain, but together we could manage it. We could get married. We could have kids.. it seemed unreal. I'm settled down for her interview, cameras flashing at my face. Finnick Odair has mentored his first winner. I grinned and waved for the Cameras. But soon the focus was back on Annie, and everyone was quiet as her interview started. Everyone was curious about this girl. She wasn't a Career, but she could kill. She cared enough about her ally to exact cold, hard revenge for him. She wore a mysterious ring and was constantly blowing kisses to the camera. People didn't know her. Yet, they wanted to.
Her victory interview dress is almost an exact copy of her regular interview dress. Only now it's slightly longer, more modest and innocent. Her make-up is down played and she truly looks beautiful. She's wearing our ring, only now it's on her finger, not stuck on her charm bracelet. She's also wearing Dorien's token. I anticipate her interview, and dread the recaps. I remember my own recaps.. there I was, some fourteen year old kid, and I was taunted with the kids I killed. I was so angry about it, I can remember destroying a few expensive Capitol things on my way out. I've matured since then.. but in a way I'll always be that fourteen year old, shocked and appalled at what I've done.
First the recaps are shown. It mainly focuses around Dorien and Annie's relationship, and the moments leading to Dorien's death. I can see Annie pale as Dorien's death and the footage of her coldly wiping out the Careers is shown, and she winces as the footage lingers at District 1's death. They display her as a brutal, uncaring killer and I can tell it's hard for her to cope with it. I'd love to punch whatever Capitol idiot is responsible for this; but I keep the forced smile on my face. Then comes time for the interview. Caesar has seen how bothered Annie is, and he tries to be as kind and gentle as he can. He praises her for being so kind to Dorien, and asks her how she feels about what she did to the Careers. She answers slowly, unsurely, and shakily. It's not fair – she shouldn't have had had to live through the Hunger Games. She should've never been picked. I know her pain, and knowing someone I love is in as much agony as I once was is like injecting fire into my veins.
It's almost time for the interview to end, and Caesar is about to ask the question almost everyone is longing to hear an answer for. What was it like to win? What were you thinking when you let go of the District 1 girl? But before he can get to that point, Annie suddenly shrieks and starts to clutch her head. People mainly are shocked into silence; myself included. The memories… they're getting to her. She comes back to normal a few seconds later, and the look in her eyes is distant and tortured. She runs off the stage, the horrified look still present on her face. Caesar takes two seconds to react before becoming cheerful again. "Well, that was Annie Cresta, victor of the 70th Hunger Games!" I walk away from the group of victors sooner than I should have, and head towards the District 4 floor. I find Annie in her room, crying.
I lay down beside her and hug her. Her muffled sobs eventually stop and she only sighs. "Finnick, everyone thinks I'm insane," She says dully. "It's just the memories.. sometimes they flood me so forcefully. I remember every detail from the arena. I've tried to block it, but it's truly impossible," I know how she feels. We hold hands. She recounts all her fears to me, and I never once zone out. I only listen. She talks about the memories that haunt her most. Dorien, the District 1 girl. Her killing spree. Her memories remind me of my own, and I hold her tightly. "I never gave you enough credit, Finnick. It's hard to know what the Games are really like until you live them. The ring was probably the only thing that kept me alive, even when I thought I had lost you," She says. I sigh and know she doesn't need to be reassured of my love for her. I twine my fingers in hers as she falls asleep, and eventually her breathing becomes quieter and even.
We were a couple before. We loved each other unconditionally, of course. But now it's different. We still love each other, but it's not just that… Now we absolutely need each other, too. We lean on each other. We help each other cope with the pain. We're both victors of the Hunger Games, we both understand the certain hurt the Games causes. Now it's not just her supporting and comforting me, it's both of us caring for one another.
I never let go of Annie as sleep slowly takes me, too.